Theory HEP Seminar

Consistent massive graviton on arbitrary backgrounds

Cédric Deffayet

Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris

A consistent linear theory for a massive graviton on flat space-time is known since the seminal work of Fierz and Pauli (1939) and can also be easily extended to Einstein space-times. Fierz-Pauli theory propagates five positive energy polarizations. To extend this to a non linear theory has long been thought impossible until the work of de Rham, Gabadadze, Tolley (dRGT) in 2010-2011. I will first review these recent developpments around massive gravity which originate in the DGP brane world model. I will then show how dRGT theory can be used to get a linear theory for a massive graviton propagating on an arbitrary metric with 5 (or less) polarizations.