2009/01/06 by Alan Kostelecky, Robertus Potting · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #gr-qc #astro-ph.CO #hep-ph #hep-th
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.79.065018
published as Phys.Rev.D79:065018, 2009 · 51 pages
arxiv created 2009/01/06 · arxiv updated 2015/05/12
We investigate a class of theories involving a symmetric two-tensor field in Minkowski spacetime with a potential triggering spontaneous violation of Lorentz symmetry. The resulting massless Nambu-Goldstone modes are shown to obey the linearized Einstein equations in a fixed gauge. Imposing self-consistent coupling to the energy-momentum tensor constrains the potential for the Lorentz violation. The nonlinear theory generated from the self-consistent bootstrap is an alternative theory of gravity, containing kinetic and potential terms along with a matter coupling. At energies small compared to the Planck scale, the theory contains general relativity, with the Riemann-spacetime metric constructed as a combination of the two-tensor field and the Minkowski metric. At high energies, the structure of the theory is qualitatively different from general relativity. Observable effects can arise in suitable gravitational experiments.