Ostrogradski formalism for higher-derivative scalar field theories

1998/02/28 by F. J. de Urries, F. J. de Urríes, J. Julve · 3 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Geophysics and Gravity Measurements #hep-th

paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/0305-4470/31/33/006

published as J.Phys.A31:6949-6964,1998 · 22 pages

arxiv created 1998/03/24 · openalex publication_date 1998/08/21 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30

Abstract

We carry out the extension of the Ostrogradski method to relativistic field theories. Higher-derivative Lagrangians reduce to second differential order with one explicit independent field for each degree of freedom. We consider a higher-derivative relativistic theory of a scalar field and validate a powerful order-reducing covariant procedure by a rigorous phase-space analysis. The physical and ghost fields appear explicitly. Our results strongly support the formal covariant methods used in higher-derivative gravity.

Citations

• Quantum Fields in Curved Space
• Superstring modifications of Einstein's equations
• On the equivalence of the relativistic theories of gravitation
• Renormalization of higher-derivative quantum gravity

Cited by

• Gravitational waves in ghost free bimetric gravity
• INTEGRATED FIELD EQUATIONS OF HETEROTIC SUPERGRAVITIES
• Do we have unitary and (super)renormalizable quantum gravity below the Planck scale?