2020/03/31 by Aharon Davidson, Tomer Ygael · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Classical mechanics #Conformal gravity #Conformal map #Conformal symmetry #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Electromagnetic field #Gravitation #Kinetic term #Mathematical physics #Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories #Physics #Quantum mechanics #Scalar (mathematics) #Scalar field #Spacetime #Theoretical physics #Weyl transformation #gr-qc #hep-ph #hep-th
paper · pdf · doi:10.3390/universe6090151
published in Universe 6(9), 151 (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute) · Essay awarded Honorable Mention by the Gravity Research Foundation 2020. v.2 Title shorten, abstract modified to include the co-scalar VEV
arxiv created 2020/09/14 · openalex publication_date 2020/09/14 · arxiv updated 2020/09/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We elevate the field theoretical similarities between Maxwell and Weyl vector fields into a full local scale/gauge invariant Weyl/Maxwell mutual sourcing theory. In its preliminary form, and exclusively in four dimensions, the associated Lagrangian is dynamical scalar field free, hosts no fermion matter fields, and Holdom kinetic mixing is switched off. The mutual sourcing term is then necessarily spacetime curvature (not just metric) dependent, and inevitably Ricci linear, suggesting that a non-vanishing spacetime curvature can in principle induce an electromagnetic current. In its mature form, however, the Weyl/Maxwell mutual sourcing idea serendipitously constitutes a novel variant of the gravitational Weyl-Dirac (incorporating Brans-Dicke) theory. Counter intuitively, and again exclusively in four dimensions, the optional quartic scalar potential gets consistently replaced by a Higgs-like potential, such that the co-divergence of the Maxwell vector field resembles a conformal vacuum expectation value.