hide
Free keywords:
High Energy Physics - Theory, hep-th,Mathematical Physics, math-ph,Mathematics, Mathematical Physics, math.MP
Abstract:
The deformations of higher-spin symmetries induced by cubic interactions of
symmetric massless bosonic fields are analyzed within the metric-like
formalism. Our analysis amends the existing classification according to
gauge-algebra deformations taking into account also gauge-transformation
deformations. In particular, we identify a class of couplings which leave the
gauge algebra Abelian but deform one (out of three) gauge transformation, and
another class of couplings which deform all three gauge transformations in
(A)dS but only two in the flat-space limit. The former class is related to
higher-spin algebra multiplets (representations of the global algebra) together
with the massless-massive-massive couplings, which we also briefly discuss. The
latter class is what makes (A)dS a distinguished background for higher-spin
interactions and includes in particular the gravitational interactions of
higher-spin fields, retrospectively accounting for the Fradkin-Vasiliev
solution to the Aragon-Deser problem. We also study the restriction of gauge
symmetries to global symmetries (higher-spin algebra) discussing the invariant
bilinear form and the cyclicity of the structure constants. A possible
generalization of the analysis to partially-massless fields is also commented.
