arXiv subjects

Ichiro Oda

Publications and source records attributed to Ichiro Oda.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Quadratic Gravity and Restricted Weyl Symmetry

We investigate the relationship between quadratic gravity and a restricted Weyl symmetry where a gauge parameter $Ω(x)$ of Weyl transformation satisfies a constraint $\Box Ω= 0$ in a curved space-time. First, we briefly review a model with a restricted gauge symmetry on the basis of QED where a $U(1)$ gauge parameter $θ(x)$ obeys a similar constraint $\Box θ= 0$ in a flat Minkowski space-time, and explain that the restricted gauge symmetry removes one on-shell mode of gauge field, which together with the Feynman gauge leaves only two transverse polarizations as physical states. Next, it is shown that the restricted Weyl symmetry also eliminates one component of a dipole field in quadratic gravity around a flat Minkowski background, leaving only a single scalar state. Finally, we show that the restricted Weyl symmetry cannot remove any dynamical degrees of freedom in static background metrics by using the zero-energy theorem of quadratic gravity. This fact also holds for the Euclidean background metrics without imposing the static condition.

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arXiv2020

Higgs Potential from Weyl Conformal Gravity

We consider Weyl's conformal gravity coupled to a complex matter field in Weyl geometry. It is shown that a Higgs potential naturally arises from a $\tilde R^2$ term in moving from the Jordan frame to the Einstein frame. A massless Nambu-Goldstone boson, which stems from spontaneous symmetry breakdown of the Weyl gauge invariance, is absorbed into the Weyl gauge field, thereby the gauge field becoming massive. We present a model where the gravitational interaction generates a Higgs potential whose form is a perfect square. Finally, we show that a theory in the Jordan frame is gauge-equivalent to the corresponding theory in the Einstein frame via the BRST formalism.

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arXiv2020

On Restricted Weyl Symmetry

We discuss the physics of a restricted Weyl symmetry in a curved space-time where a gauge parameter $Ω(x)$ of Weyl transformation satisfies a constraint $\Box Ω= 0$. First, we present a model of QED where we have a restricted gauge symmetry in the sense that a $U(1)$ gauge parameter $θ(x)$ obeys a similar constraint $\Box θ= 0$ in a flat Minkowski space-time. Next, it is precisely shown that a global scale symmetry must be spontaneously broken at the quantum level. Finally, we discuss the origin of the restricted Weyl symmetry and show that its symmetry can be derived from a full Weyl symmetry by taking a gauge condition $R = 0$ in the BRST formalism.

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arXiv2020

Planck scale from broken local conformal invariance in Weyl geometry

We show that in a quadratic gravity based on Weyl's conformal geometry, the Planck mass scale can be generated from quantum effects of the gravitational field and the Weyl gauge field via the Coleman-Weinberg mechanism where a local scale symmetry is broken. At the same time, the Weyl gauge field acquires a mass less than the Planck mass by absorbing the scalar graviton. The shape of the effective potential is almost flat owing to a gravitational character and high symmetries, so our model would provide for an attractive model for the inflationary universe. We also present a toy model showing spontaneous symmetry breakdown of a global scale symmetry by moving from the Jordan frame to the Einstein one, and point out its problems.

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arXiv2020

Spontaneous Symmetry Breakdown of Scale Symmetries

We discuss spontaneous symmetry breakdown (SSB) of both global and local scale symmetries in scalar-tensor gravity with two scalar fields, one of which couples nonminimally to scalar curvature while the other is a normal scalar field. In case of a global scale symmetry, by moving from the Jordan frame to the Einstein frame, a normal scalar field becomes massive while the dilaton remains massless after the SSB. In case of a local scale symmetry, we take a gauge fixing condition for the local scale invariance, $a R + b ϕ^2 = k$, which was found in our previous study of a Weyl's quadratic gravity. Together with locally scale invariant potential terms in a classical action, this gauge condition generates a Higgs potential whose vacuum expectation value (VEV) produces the Einstein-Hilbert action with an $R^2$ term in the lowest level of approximation. One interesting aspect in this model is that a massless Nambu-Goldstone boson associated with a scale invariance is absorbed into the metric tensor field and consequently an $R^2$ term is induced in the action.

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arXiv2020

Emergence of Einstein Gravity from Weyl Gravity

It is shown that in a quadratic gravity based on Weyl's conformal geometry, not only the Einstein-Hilbert action emerges but also a Weyl gauge field becomes massive in the Weyl gauge condition, $\tilde R = k$, for a Weyl gauge symmetry within the framework of the BRST formalism. We also consider a more general gravitational theory with a scalar field in the Weyl geometry and see that the Einstein-Hilbert action can be induced from spontaneous symmetry breakdown of the Weyl gauge symmetry. Thus, it turns out that Weyl's conformal gravity is quantum mechanically equivalent to Einstein's general relativity plus a massive Weyl gauge field, and the Weyl geometry is free from an infamous ``second clock problem'' in quantum regime.

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arXiv2019

Planck Scale from Broken Local Conformal Invariance in Weyl Geometry

It is shown that in the quadratic gravity based on Weyl's conformal geometry, the Planck mass scale can be generated from quantum effects of the gravitational field and the Weyl gauge field via the Coleman-Weinberg mechanism where a local scale symmetry, that is, conformal symmetry, is broken. At the same time, the Weyl gauge field acquires mass less than the Planck mass by absorbing the dilaton. The shape of the effective potential is almost flat owing to a gravitational character and high symmetries, so our model would provide an attractive model for the inflationary universe. We also present a toy model showing spontaneous symmetry breakdown of a scale symmetry by moving from the Jordan frame to the Einstein one, and point out its problem.

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arXiv2019

Planck and Electroweak Scales Emerging from Weyl Conformal Gravity

We show that the Planck mass scale can be generated from conformal gravity in the Weyl conformal geometry via the Coleman-Weinberg mechanism of dimensional transmutation where quantum corrections stemming from the gravitational field and the Weyl gauge field trigger the symmetry breakdown of a local Weyl symmetry. It is also shown that the vacuum expectation value of a scalar field is transmitted to a sector of the standard model through a potential involving the scale invariant part and the contribution from the Coleman-Weinberg mechanism, thereby generating the electroweak scale.

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arXiv2018

Scale Symmetry and Weinberg's No-go Theorem in the Cosmological Constant Problem

We complete the proof of Weinberg's no-go theorem on the cosmological constant problem in classical gravity when the theory has a (global) scale symmetry. Stimulated with this proof, we explore a solution to the cosmological constant problem by the help of renormalization group equations. We find that the manifestly scale invariant regularization method provides a physically plausible solution to the cosmological constant problem, in particular, to the issue of radiative instability of the cosmological constant.

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arXiv2018

Higgs Potential from Wick Rotation in Conformal BSM

It is well known that in order to make the path integral of general relativity converge, one has to perform the Wick rotation over the conformal factor in addition to the more familiar Wick rotation of the time axis to pass to the space-time with Euclidean signature. In this article, we will apply this technique to a scalar field in the conformally invariant scalar-tensor gravity with a conformally invariant beyond-standard-model (BSM). It is then shown that a potential term in the conformally invariant potential, which corresponds to the Higgs mass term in the Higgs potential of the standard model (SM), can have a negative coefficient. The change of sign of the potential term naturally induces spontaneous symmetry breakdown of the electroweak gauge symmetry after symmetry breaking of conformal symmetry (local scale symmetry) via the Coleman-Weinberg mechanism around the Planck scale. The present study might shed light on the fact that the existence of a stable vacuum in quantum gravity is relevant to that in the SM.

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arXiv2018

Planck and Electroweak Scales Emerging from Conformal Gravity

We show that both the Planck and electroweak mass scales can be generated from conformal gravity via the Coleman-Weinberg mechanism of dimensional transmutation. At the first step, the Planck scale is generated via the Coleman-Weinberg mechanism in the sector of conformal gravity, which means that radiative corrections associated with gravitons induce spontaneous symmetry breakdown of a local conformal symmetry. At the second step, the vacuum expectation value of a scalar field is transmitted to the sector of the standard model via a potential involving the conformally invariant part and the contribution from the Coleman-Weinberg mechanism, thereby generating the electroweak scale. The huge hierarchy between the two scales can be explained in terms of a very tiny coupling constant between the scalar and the Higgs field in a consistent way.

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arXiv2018

More on Weinberg's No Go Theorem in Quantum Gravity

We complement Weinberg's no go theorem on the cosmological constant problem in quantum gravity by generalizing it to the case of a scale-invariant theory. Our analysis makes use of the effective action and the BRST symmetry in a manifestly covariant quantum gravity instead of the classical Lagrangian density and the $GL(4)$ symmetry in classical gravity. In this sense, our proof is very general since it does not depend on details of quantum gravity and holds true for general gravitational theories which are invariant under diffeomorphisms. As an application of our theorem, we comment on an idea that in the asymptotic safety scenario the functional renormalization flow drives a cosmological constant to zero, solving the cosmological constant problem without reference to fine tuning of parameters. Finally, we also comment on the possibility of extending the Weinberg theorem in quantum gravity to the case where the translational invariance is spontaneously broken.

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arXiv2017

Cosmic Acceleration in the Nonlocal Approach to the Cosmological Constant Problem

We have recently constructed a manifestly local formulation of a nonlocal approach to the cosmological constant problem which can treat with quantum effects from both matter and gravitational fields. In this formulation, it has been explicitly shown that the effective cosmological constant is radiatively stable even in the presence of the gravitational loop effects. Since we are naturally led to add the $R^2$ term and the corresponding topological action to an original action, we make use of this formulation to account for the late-time acceleration of expansion of the universe in case of the open universes with infinite space-time volume. We will see that when the "scalaron", which exists in the $R^2$ gravity as an extra scalar field, has a tiny mass of the order of magnitude ${\cal{O}}(1 meV)$, we can explain the current value of the cosmological constant in a consistent manner.

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arXiv2017

Gravitational Quantum Effects and Nonlocal Approach to the Cosmological Constant Problem

We have recently presented a manifestly local and general coordinate invariant formulation of a nonlocal approach to the cosmological constant problem. In this article, we investigate quantum effects from both matter and gravitational fields in this formulation. In particular, we pay our attention to the gravitational loop effects and show that the effective cosmological constant is radiatively stable even in the presence of the gravitational loop effects in addition to matter loop effects. For this purpose we need to add the $R^2$ term and the corresponding topological action as an total action, which should be contrasted with the work by Kaloper and Padilla where the topological Gauss-Bonnet term is added instead of the $R^2$ term. The advantages of our new formulation compared to that by Kaloper and Padilla are that not only we do not have to assume the scale invariance which is required to render the space-time average of the square of the Weyl curvature vanishing, but also our formulation would lead to the $R^2$ inflation in a natural manner.

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arXiv2017

Quantum Aspects of Nonlocal Approach to the Cosmological Constant Problem

We have recently presented a manifestly local and general coordinate invariant formulation of a nonlocal approach to the cosmological constant problem which has been proposed by Carroll and Remmen. In this article, based on our formulation, we investigate some quantum aspects of this approach to the cosmological constant problem. In particular, we explicitly evaluate quantum effects to the effective cosmological constant from matter fields at one-loop level, and show that the effective cosmological constant receives radiative corrections and is not stable against quantum corrections so that it must be fine-tuned at every stage in the loop expansion. Next, we will propose a new scale-invariant model of a nonlocal approach to the cosmological constant problem, and show explicitly that in this new model the effective cosmological constant is indeed stable against radiative corrections.

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arXiv2017

Weinberg's No Go Theorem in Quantum Gravity

An important hurdle to be faced by any model proposing a resolution to the cosmological constant problem is Weinberg's venerable no go theorem. This theorem states that no local field equations including classical gravity can have a flat Minkowski solution for generic values of the parameters, in other words, the no go theorem forbids the existence of any solution to the cosmological constant problem within local field theories without fine tuning. Though the original Weinberg theorem is valid only in classical gravity, in this article we prove that this theorem holds even in quantum gravity. Our proof is very general since it makes use of the BRST invariance emerging after gauge-fixing of general coordinate invariance and does not depend on the detail of quantum gravity.

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arXiv2017

Manifestly Local Formulation of Nonlocal Approach to the Cosmological Constant Problem

We present a manifestly local and general coordinate invariant formulation of a nonlocal approach to the cosmological constant problem which has been recently proposed by Carroll and Remmen. To do that, we need to introduce a topological term involving a new 3-form gauge field. The equations of motion for this new 3-form gauge field lead to a constant Lagrange multiplier parameter and the resulting action becomes equivalent to that of Carroll and Remmen. In our formulation, nonlocal informations are encoded via the procedure of taking the space-time average at the stage of the equations of motion. Consequently, our theory evades a no-go theorem by Weinberg and provides a new solution to the cosmological constant problem in almost exactly the same way as the original proposal by Carroll et al.

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arXiv2016

Classical Weyl Transverse Gravity

We study various classical aspects of the Weyl transverse (WTDiff) gravity in a general space-time dimension. First of all, we clarify a classical equivalence among three kinds of gravitational theories, those are, the conformally-invariant scalar tensor gravity, Einstein's general relativity and the WTDiff gravity via the gauge fixing procedure. Secondly, we show that in the WTDiff gravity the cosmological constant is a mere integration constant as in unimodular gravity, but it does not receive any radiative corrections unlike the unimodular gravity. A key point in this proof is to construct a covariantly conserved energy-momentum tensor, which is achieved on the basis of this equivalence relation. Thirdly, we demonstrate that the Noether current for the Weyl transformation is identically vanishing, thereby implying that the Weyl symmetry existing in both the conformally-invariant scalar tensor gravity and the WTDiff gravity is a "fake" symmetry. We find it possible to extend this proof to all matter fields, i.e. the Weyl invariant scalar, vector and spinor fields. Fourthly, it is explicitly shown that in the WTDiff gravity the Schwarzshild black hole metric and a charged black hole one are classical solutions to the equations of motion only when they are expressed in the Cartesian coordinate system. Finally, we consider the Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) cosmology and provide some exact solutions.

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