Causality Constraints on Corrections to the Graviton Three-Point Coupling

January 15, 2015
3:00pm to 4:30pm

Red Room/ IFT Seminar Room

Specialist level
Speaker: 
José Edelstein
Institution: 
Santiago U.
Location&Place: 

Red Room/ IFT Seminar Room

Abstract: 

I will consider higher derivative corrections to the graviton 3-point coupling within a weakly coupled theory of gravity. Lorentz invariance allows further structures beyond that of Einstein’s theory. I will argue that these structures are constrained by causality, and show that the problem cannot be fixed by adding conventional particles with spins less or equal than 2, but adding an infinite tower of massive particles with higher spins. Implications of this result in the context of AdS/CFT, quantum gravity in asymptotically flat space-times, and non-Gaussianity features of primordial gravitational waves are discussed.