No Arabic abstract
We revisit the most general theory for a massive vector field with derivative self-interactions, extending previous works on the subject to account for terms having trivial total derivative interactions for the longitudinal mode. In the flat spacetime (Minkowski) case, we obtain all the possible terms containing products of up to five first-order derivatives of the vector field, and provide a conjecture about higher-order terms. Rendering the metric dynamical, we covariantize the results and add all possible terms implying curvature.
We summarize previous results on the most general Proca theory in 4 dimensions containing only first-order derivatives in the vector field (second-order at most in the associated Stuckelberg scalar) and having only three propagating degrees of freedom with dynamics controlled by second-order equations of motion. Discussing the Hessian condition used in previous works, we conjecture that, as in the scalar galileon case, the most complete action contains only a finite number of terms with second-order derivatives of the Stuckelberg field describing the longitudinal mode, which is in agreement with the results of JCAP 1405, 015 (2014) and Phys. Lett. B 757, 405 (2016) and complements those of JCAP 1602, 004 (2016). We also correct and complete the parity violating sector, obtaining an extra term on top of the arbitrary function of the field $A_mu$, the Faraday tensor $F_{mu u}$ and its Hodge dual $tilde{F}_{mu u}$.
Following previous works on generalized Abelian Proca theory, also called vector Galileon, we investigate the massive extension of an SU(2) gauge theory, i.e., the generalized SU(2) Proca model, which could be dubbed non-Abelian vector Galileon. This particular symmetry group permits fruitful applications in cosmology such as inflation driven by gauge fields. Our approach consists in building, in an exhaustive way, all the Lagrangians containing up to six contracted Lorentz indices. For this purpose, and after identifying by group theoretical considerations all the independent Lagrangians which can be written at these orders, we consider the only linear combinations propagating three degrees of freedom and having healthy dynamics for their longitudinal mode, i.e., whose pure Stuckelberg contribution turns into the SU(2) multi-Galileon dynamics. Finally, and after having considered the curved space-time expansion of these Lagrangians, we discuss the form of the theory at all subsequent orders.
To date, different alternative theories of gravity, although related, involving Proca fields have been proposed. Unfortunately, the procedure to obtain the relevant terms in some formulations has not been systematic enough or exhaustive, thus resulting in some missing terms or ambiguity in the process carried out. In this paper, we propose a systematic procedure to build the beyond generalized theory for a Proca field in four dimensions containing only the field itself and its first-order derivatives. We examine the validity of our procedure at the fourth level of the generalized Proca theory. In our approach, we employ all the possible Lorentz-invariant Lagrangian pieces made of the Proca field and its first-order derivatives, including those that violate parity, and find the relevant combination that propagates only three degrees of freedom and has healthy dynamics for the longitudinal mode. The key step in our procedure is to retain the flat space-time divergences of the currents in the theory during the covariantization process. In the curved space-time theory, some of the retained terms are no longer current divergences so that they induce the new terms that identify the beyond generalized Proca field theory. The procedure constitutes a systematic method to build general theories for multiple vector fields with or without internal symmetries.
We have investigated if the vector field can give rise to an accelerating phase in the early universe. We consider a timelike vector field with a general quadratic kinetic term in order to preserve an isotropic background spacetime. The vector field potential is required to satisfy the three minimal conditions for successful inflation: i) $rho>0$, ii) $rho+3P < 0$ and iii) the slow-roll conditions. As an example, we consider the massive vector potential and small field type potential as like in scalar driven inflation.
We derive the profile of a vector field coupled to matter on a static and spherically symmetric background in the context of generalized Proca theories. The cubic Galileon self-interaction leads to the suppression of a longitudinal vector component due to the operation of the Vainshtein mechanism. For quartic and sixth-order derivative interactions, the solutions consistent with those in the continuous limit of small derivative couplings correspond to the branch with the vanishing longitudinal mode. We compute the corrections to gravitational potentials outside a compact body induced by the vector field in the presence of cubic, quartic, and sixth-order derivative couplings, and show that the models can be consistent with local gravity constraints under mild bounds on the temporal vector component. The quintic Galileon interaction does not allow regular solutions of the longitudinal mode for a rapidly decreasing matter density outside the body.