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arXiv · 2206.15385

Basic introduction to higher-spin theories

Dmitry Ponomarev
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Abstract

This is a collection of my lecture notes on the higher-spin theory course given for students at the Institute for Theoretical and Mathematical Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University. The goal of these lectures is to give an introduction to higher-spin theories accessible to master level students which would enable them to read the higher-spin literature. I start by introducing basic relevant notions of representation theory and the associated field-theoretic descriptions. Focusing on massless symmetric fields I review different approaches to interactions as well as the no-go results. I end the lectures by reviewing some of the currently available positive results on interactions of massless higher-spin fields, namely, holographic, Chern-Simons and chiral higher-spin theories.

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Dmitry Ponomarev. 2022-06-30. Basic introduction to higher-spin theories. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10773-023-05399-5

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