Quantum Field Theory and the Standard Model by Schwartz M.D. z-lib.org · Problem 8.7

Spin 1 and gauge invariance — Schwartz M.D. z-lib.org

Physics — QFT · cubic-interactions-massless-spin-2

Problem

Using the method of Section 8.7.2 construct the set of cubic interactions of a massless spin-2 field embedded in hμνh_{\mu\nu}. There are many terms, all with two derivatives, but their coefficients are precisely fixed. You can also check that this is the same thing you get from expanding MPl2ημν+1MPlhμν R ⁣[ημν+1MPlhμν]M^2_{\mathrm{Pl}}\sqrt{\eta_{\mu\nu} + \frac{1}{M_{\mathrm{Pl}}}h_{\mu\nu}}\, R\!\left[\eta_{\mu\nu} + \frac{1}{M_{\mathrm{Pl}}}h_{\mu\nu}\right] to cubic order in hμνh_{\mu\nu}. It should be clear that the same method will produce the terms fourth order in hμνh_{\mu\nu}, however, these are suppressed by 1MPl2\frac{1}{M^2_{\mathrm{Pl}}}. Most tests of general relativity probe only that it is described by a minimally coupled spin-2 field (e.g.\ bending of light, gravitational waves, frame dragging). Some precision tests assay the cubic interactions (e.g.\ the perihelion shift of Mercury). No experiment has yet tested the quartic interactions.

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