We consider the quantum mechanics of Einstein gravity linearised about flat spacetime. The two transverse-traceless components of the metric perturbation are the true physical degrees of freedom. They appear in the quantum theory as free quantum fields. Like the full Einstein action, the Euclidean action for linearised gravity is unbounded below. It is therefore not possible to use that action to represent the ground state wave function as a Euclidian functional integral over exp{[-(action) /\hbar]}. However, it is possible to represent the ground state as a Euclidian integral over the (deparametrised) action involving only the true physical degrees of freedom. Starting from this integral representation of the ground state and using the techniques of Faddeev and Popov we show how to construct a Euclidean functional integral for the ground state wave function. The integral explicitly exhibits the theory's gauge symmetry, locality, and O(4) invariance. The conformal factor appears naturally rotated into the complex plane. Other representations of the ground state are exhibited.
Linearised gravity as edge modes & manifest duality and Lorentz covariance
Max Planck–IAS–NTU Center for Particle Physics, Cosmology and Geometry（国立台湾大学物理系暨理论物理中心；梁林宇宙学与粒子天体物理中心；马克斯·普朗克研究所-国际学术访问学者-台湾大学粒子物理、宇宙学与几何中心）；Leung Center for Cosmology and Particle Astrophysics（伦敦帝国理工学院阿卜杜斯·萨拉姆理论物理中心）；Department of Physics and Center for Theoretical Physics, National Taiwan University；Abdus Salam Centre for Theoretical Physics, Imperial College London
In this work, we study linearised gravitational fields on the entire Minkowski space-time including space-like infinity. The generalised conformal field equations linearised about a Minkowski background are utilised for this purpose. In principle, this conformal representation of Einstein's equations can be used to carry out global simulations of Minkowski space-time. We investigate thoroughly this possibility.
Bessel-Hagen currents for linearised Weyl-squared gravity
Astrophysics Group, Cavendish Laboratory（卡文迪许实验室天体物理组）；Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences（捷克科学院物理研究所）；Kavli Institute for Cosmology（卡弗里宇宙学研究所）
Standard methods in non-linear analysis are used to show that there exists a parabolic branching of solutions of the Lichnerowicz-York equation with an unscaled source. We also apply these methods to the extended conformal thin sandwich formulation and show that if the linearised system develops a kernel solution for sufficiently large initial data then we obtain parabolic solution curves for the conformal factor, lapse and shift identical to those found numerically by Pfeiffer and York. The implications of these results for constrained evolutions are discussed.
The linearised general conformal field equations in their first and second order form are used to study the behaviour of the spin-2 zero-rest-mass equation on Minkowski background in the vicinity of space-like infinity.
We show quantitatively that an exact solution of Einstein's conformal gravity can explain very well the galactic rotation curves for a sample of 104 galaxies without need for dark matter or other exotic modification of gravity. The metric is an overall rescaling of the Schwarzschild-de Sitter spacetime as required by Weyl conformal invariance, which has to be spontaneously broken, and the velocity of the stars depends only on two universal parameters determined on the base of the observational data.
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 …
We show that Mannheim's conformal gravity program, whose potential has a term proportional to $1/r$ and another term proportional to $r$, does not reduce to Newtonian gravity at short distances, unless one assumes undesirable singularities of the mass density of the proton. Therefore, despite the claim that it successfully explains galaxy rotation curves, unless one assumes the singularities, it seems to be falsified by numerous Cavendish-type experiments performed at laboratories on Earth whose work have not found any deviations from Newton's theory. Moreover, it can be shown that as long as …
We review some recent work by Mannheim and O'Brien on the systematics of galactic rotation curves in the conformal gravity theory. In this work the conformal theory was applied to a comprehensive, high quality sample of spiral galaxies whose rotation curves extend well beyond the galactic optical disks. On galactic scales the conformal gravitational theory departs from the standard Newtonian theory in two distinct ways. One is a local way in which local matter sources within galaxies generate not just Newtonian potentials but linear potentials as well. The other is a global way in which two un…
We continue our study of the application of the conformal gravity theory to galactic rotation curves. Previously we had studied a varied 111 spiral galaxy sample consisting of high surface brightness galaxies, low surface brightness galaxies and dwarf galaxies. With no free parameters other than galactic mass to light ratios, we had found that the theory is able to account for the systematics that is observed in the entire set of galactic rotation curves without the need for any dark matter whatsoever. In the present paper we extend our study to incorporate a further 27 galaxies of which 25 ar…
We discuss the effect of a conformally coupled Higgs field on conformal gravity (CG) predictions for the rotation curves of galaxies. The Mannheim-Kazanas (MK) metric is a valid vacuum solution of CG's 4-th order Poisson equation only if the Higgs field has a particular radial profile, S(r)=S_0 a/(r+a), decreasing from S_0 at r=0 with radial scale length a. Since particle rest masses scale with S(r)/S_0, their world lines do not follow time-like geodesics of the MK metric g_ab, as previously assumed, but rather those of the Higgs-frame MK metric Omega^2 g_ab, with the conformal factor Omega(r)…
Maxwell's equations are invariant under both duality rotations and conformal transformations. Recently Bandos, Lechner, Sorokin, and Townsend have found a nonlinear generalisation of electrodynamics which possesses both of these symmetries. We couple this theory to General Relativity and explore self-gravitating configurations with a clear physical interpretation. We find charged black holes and exact gravitational waves. The black hole geometry is Reissner-Nordström, however, the non-linearity parameter acts as a screening factor allowing extremal configurations where the mass of the black ho…
We propose a new formula to explain circular velocity profiles of spiral galaxies obtained from the Starobinsky model in Palatini formalism. It is based on the assumption that the gravity can be described by two conformally related metrics: one of them is responsible for the measurement of distances, while the other so-called dark metric, is responsible for a geodesic equation and therefore can be used for the description of the velocity profile. The formula is tested against a subset of galaxies taken from the HI Nearby Galaxy Survey (THINGS).
Weyl's conformal theory of gravity is an extension of Einstein's theory of general relativity which associates metrics with 1-forms . In the case of locally integrable (closed non-exact) 1-forms the spacetime manifolds are no more simply connected. The Weil connections yield curvature tensors which satisfy the basic properties of Riemann curvature tensors. The Ricci tensors are symmetric, conformally invariant, and the Einstein tensors computed with the Weyl connections implicate a cosmological term replacing the cosmological constant by a function of spacetime, and a shear stress tensor. A to…
We study the theory of Weyl conformal gravity with matter degrees of freedom in a conformally invariant interaction. Specifically, we consider a triplet of scalar fields and SO(3) non-abelian gauge fields, i.e. the Georgi-Glashow model conformally coupled to Weyl gravity. We show that the equations of motion admit solutions spontaneously breaking the conformal symmetry and the gauge symmetry, providing a mechanism for supplying a scale in the theory. The vacuum solution corresponds to anti-de-Sitter space-time, while localized soliton solutions correspond to magnetic monopoles in asymptoticall…
We apply the conformal gravity theory to a sample of 111 spiral galaxies whose rotation curve data points extend well beyond the optical disk. With no free parameters other than galactic mass to light ratios, the theory is able to account for the systematics that is observed in this entire set of rotation curves without the need for any dark matter at all. In previous applications of the theory a central role was played by a universal linear potential term $V(r)=γ_0 c^2r/2$ that is generated through the effect of cosmology on individual galaxies, with the coefficient $γ_0=3.06\times 10^{-30} {…
We reconsider the widely held view that the Mannheim--Kazanas (MK) vacuum solution for a static, spherically-symmetric system in conformal gravity (CG) predicts flat rotation curves, such as those observed in galaxies, without the need for dark matter. This prediction assumes that test particles have fixed rest mass and follow timelike geodesics in the MK metric in the vacuum region exterior to a spherically-symmetric representation of the galactic mass distribution. Such geodesics are not conformally invariant, however, which leads to an apparent discrepancy with the analogous calculation per…
The collision-free Boltzmann equation is used in the context of brane-$f(R)$ gravity to derive the virial theorem. It is shown that the virial mass is proportional to certain geometrical terms appearing in the Einstein field equations and contributes to gravitational energy and that such a geometric mass can be attributed to the virial mass discrepancy in a cluster of galaxies. In addition, the galaxy rotation curves are studied by utilizing the concept of conformal symmetry and notion of conformal Killing symmetry. The field equations may then be obtained in an exact parametric form in terms …
Conformal Weyl Gravity (CWG) predicts galactic rotation curves without invoking dark matter. This makes CWG an interesting candidate theory as an alternative to GR. This removal of the necessity of dark matter arises because the exact exterior solution in CWG for a static, spherically symmetric source provides a linear potential $γr$, which can explain the observed galactic rotation curves with a value for $γ$ given by $\sim + 10^{-26} \mathrm{m}^{-1}$. Previous work has also shown that CWG can explain lensing observations, but with $γ\sim - 10^{-26} \mathrm{m}^{-1}$ in order to ensure converg…
We consider solutions with conformal symmetry of the static, spherically symmetric gravitational field equations in the vacuum in the brane world scenario. By assuming that the vector field generating the symmetry is non-static, the general solution of the field equations on the brane can be obtained in an exact parametric form, with the conformal factor taken as parameter. As a physical application of the obtained solutions we consider the behavior of the angular velocity of a test particle moving in a stable circular orbit. In this case the tangential velocity can be expressed as a function …
Since it can describe the rotation curves of galaxies without dark matter and can give rise to accelerated expansion, conformal gravity attracts much attention recently. As a theory of modified gravity, it is important to test conformal gravity with astrophysical observations. Here we constrain conformal gravity with SNIa and Hubble parameter data and investigate whether it suffers from an age problem with the age of APM~08279+5255. We find conformal gravity can accommodate the age of APM~08279+5255 at 3 $σ$ deviation, unlike most of dark energy models which suffer from an age problem.
The cosmological constant $Λ$ used to be a freedom in Einstein's theory of general relativity, where one had a proclivity to set it to zero purely for convenience. The signs of $Λ$ or $Λ$ being zero would describe universes with different properties. For instance, the conformal structure of spacetime directly depends on $Λ$: null infinity $\mathcal{I}$ is a spacelike, null, or timelike hypersurface, if $Λ>0$, $Λ=0$, or $Λ<0$, respectively. Recent observations of distant supernovae have taught us that our universe expands at an accelerated rate, and this can be accounted for by choosing $Λ>0$ i…
We show how Conformal Gravity (CG) has to satisfy a fine-tuning condition to describe the rotation curves of disk galaxies without the aid of dark matter. Interpreting CG as a gauge natural theory yields conservation laws and their associated superpotentials without ambiguities. We consider the light deflection of a point-like lens and impose that the two Schwarzschild-like metrics with and without the lens are identical at infinite distances from the lens. The energy conservation law implies that the parameter $γ$ in the linear term of the metric has to vanish, otherwise the two metrics are p…
The conformal gravity fit to observed galactic rotation curves requires γ>0. On the other hand, conventional method for light deflection by galaxies gives a negative contribution to Schwarzschild value for γ>0, which is contrary to observation. Thus, it is very important that the contribution to bending should in principle be positive, no matter how small its magnitude is. Here we show that the Rindler-Ishak method gives a positive contribution to Schwarzschild deflection for γ>0, as desired. We also obtain the exact local coupling term derived earlier by Sereno. These results indicate that co…
Energy extraction processes and thermodynamics in rotating Weyl conformal black holes
Samarkand State University（撒马尔罕国立大学）；Gulistan State University（古利斯坦国立大学）；Khazar University（哈萨尔大学）；Kimyo International University in Tashkent（塔什干化学国际大学）；University of Tashkent for Applied Sciences（塔什干应用科学大学）；Harbin Institute of Technology（哈尔滨工业大学）；National Research University TIIAME（TIIAME国立研究大学）；National University of Uzbekistan（乌兹别克斯坦国立大学）；Zhejiang Normal University（浙江师范大学）
Using standard Einstein theory, baryonic mass cannot account for observed galactic rotation velocities and gravitational lensing, attributed to galactic dark matter halos. In contrast, theory constrained by Weyl conformal scaling symmetry explains observed galactic rotation in the halo region without invoking dark matter. An explanation of dark halos, gravitational lensing, and structural stabilization, without dark matter and consistent with conformal theory, is proposed here. Condensation of uniform primordial matter into a material cloud or galaxy vacates a large surrounding spherical halo.…
We study non-linear axisymmetric pulsations of rotating relativistic stars using a general relativistic hydrodynamics code under the assumption of a conformal flatness. We compare our results to previous simulations where the spacetime dynamics was neglected. The pulsations are studied along various sequences of both uniformly and differentially rotating relativistic polytropes with index N = 1. We identify several modes, including the lowest-order l = 0, 2, and 4 axisymmetric modes, as well as several axisymmetric inertial modes. Differential rotation significantly lowers mode frequencies, in…
We revisit the structure of conformal gravity in the presence of a c-number, conformally coupled, long range, macroscopic scalar field. And in the static, spherically symmetric case discuss two classes of exact exterior solutions, in one of which the scalar field has a constant value and in the other, which is due to Brihaye and Verbin, it has a radial dependence. In light of these two solutions Horne and then Hobson and Lasenby raised the concern that the fitting of conformal gravity to galactic rotation curves had been misapplied and thus called the successful fitting of the conformal theory…
Galactic rotation curves have proven to be the testing ground for dark matter bounds in spiral galaxies of all morphologies. Dwarf galaxies serve as an increasingly interesting case of rotation curve dynamics due to their typically rising rotation curve as opposed to the flattening curve of large spirals. These galaxies usually vary in galactic structure and mostly terminate at small radial distances. This, coupled with the fact that Cold Dark Matter theories struggle with the universality of galactic rotation curves, allow for exclusive features of alternative gravitational models to be analy…
Conformal gravity theory can explain observed flat rotation curves of galaxies without invoking hypothetical dark matter. Within this theory, we obtain a generic formula for the sizes of galaxies exploiting the stability criterion of circular orbits. It is found that different galaxies have different finite sizes uniquely caused by the assumed quadratic potential of cosmological origin. Observations on where circular orbits might actually terminate could thus be very instructive in relation to the galactic sizes predicted here.
In a recent paper (MNRAS 458, 4122 (2016)) K. Horne examined the effect of a conformally coupled scalar field (referred to as Higgs field) on the Mannheim-Kazanas metric $g_{μν}$, i.e. the static spherically symmetric metric within the context of conformal gravity (CG), and studied its effect on the rotation curves of galaxies. He showed that for a Higgs field of the form $S(r) = S_0 a/(r + a)$, where $a$ is a radial length scale, the equivalent Higgs-frame Mannheim-Kazanas metric $\tilde{g}_{μν} = Ω^2 g_{μν}$, with $Ω= S(r)/S_{0}$, lacks the linear $γr$ term, which has been employed in the fi…
