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We investigate whether a spontaneously-broken gauge theory of the group $SU(2,2)$ may be a genuine competitor to General Relativity. The basic ingredients of the theory are an $SU(2,2)$ gauge field $A_{\mu}$ and a Higgs field $W$ in the adjoint representation of the group with the Higgs field producing the symmetry breaking $SU(2,2)\rightarrow SO(1,3)\times SO(1,1)$. The action for gravity is polynomial in $\{A_{\mu},W\}$ and the field equations are first-order in derivatives of these fields. The new $SO(1,1)$ symmetry in the gravitational sector is interpreted in terms of an emergent scale symmetry and the recovery of conformalized General Relativity and fourth-order Weyl conformal gravity as limits of the theory- following imposition of Lagrangian constraints- is demonstrated. Maximally symmetric spacetime solutions to the full theory are found and stability of the theory around these solutions is investigated; it is shown that regions of the theory's parameter space describe perturbations identical to that of General Relativity coupled to a massive scalar field and a massless one-form field. The coupling of gravity to matter is considered and it is shown that actions for all fields are naturally gauge-invariant, polynomial in fields and yield first-order field equations; no auxiliary fields are introduced. Familiar Yang-Mills and Klein-Gordon type Lagrangians are recovered on-shell in the General-Relativistic limit of the theory. In this formalism, the General-Relativistic limit and the breaking of scale invariance appear as two sides of the same coin and it is shown that the latter generates mass terms for Higgs and spinor fields., Comment: Content matches published version

A distance can be measured by monitoring how much a wheel has rotated when rolled without slipping. This simple idea underlies the mathematics of Cartan geometry. The Cartan-geometric description of gravity consists of a SO(1,4) gauge connection $A^{AB}(x)$ and a symmetry-breaking field $V^A(x)$. The clear similarity with symmetry-broken Yang-Mills theory suggests strongly the existence of a new field in nature: the gravitational Higgs field $V^A$. By treating $V^A$ as a genuine dynamical field we arrive at a natural generalization of General Relativity with a wealth of new phenomenology and with General Relativity reproduced exactly in the limit where $V^2$ tends to a positive constant. We show that in regions wherein $V^2(x)$ varies, but has a definite sign, the Cartan-geometric formulation is a form of a scalar-tensor theory. A specific choice of action yields the Peebles-Ratra quintessence model whilst more general actions are shown to exhibit propagation of torsion. Regions where the sign of $V^2$ changes correspond to a change in signature of the geometry; a simple choice of action with FRW symmetry yields, without any additional ad hoc assumptions, a classical analogue of the Hartle-Hawking no-boundary proposal. Solutions from more general actions are discussed. A gauge prescription for coupling matter to gravity is described and matter actions are presented which reduce to standard ones in the limit $V^2\rightarrow const$. It becomes clear that Cartan geometry may function as a novel platform for inspiring and exploring modified theories of gravity with applications to dark energy, black holes, and early-universe cosmology. We end by listing a set of open problems., Comment: Updated to reflect content of published version

We investigate the possibility for classical metric signature change in a straightforward generalization of the first order formulation of gravity, dubbed "Cartan gravity". The mathematical structure of this theory mimics the electroweak theory in that the basic ingredients are an $SO(1,4)$ Yang-Mills gauge field $A^{ab}_{\phantom{ab}\mu}$ and a symmetry breaking Higgs field $V^{a}$, with no metric or affine structure of spacetime presupposed. However, these structures can be recovered, with the predictions of General Relativity exactly reproduced, whenever the Higgs field breaking the symmetry to $SO(1,3)$ is forced to have a constant (positive) norm $V^aV_a$. This restriction is usually imposed "by hand", but in analogy with the electroweak theory we promote the gravitational Higgs field $V^a$ to a genuine dynamical field, subject to non-trivial equations of motion. Even though we limit ourselves to actions polynomial in these variables, we discover a rich phenomenology. Most notably we derive classical cosmological solutions exhibiting a smooth transition between Euclidean and Lorentzian signature in the four-metric. These solutions are non-singular and arise whenever the $SO(1,4)$ norm of the Higgs field changes sign i.e. the signature of the metric of spacetime is determined dynamically by the gravitational Higgs field. It is possible to find a plethora of such solutions and in some of them this dramatic behaviour is confined to the early universe, with the theory asymptotically tending to Einstein gravity at late times. Curiously the theory can also naturally embody a well-known dark energy model: Peebles-Ratra quintessence., Comment: Matches published version

It has been known for some time that General Relativity can be regarded as a Yang-Mills-type gauge theory in a symmetry broken phase. In this picture the gravity sector is described by an $SO(1,4)$ or $SO(2,3)$ gauge field $A^{a}_{\phantom{a}b\mu}$ and Higgs field $V^{a}$ which acts to break the symmetry down to that of the Lorentz group $SO(1,3)$. This symmetry breaking mirrors that of electroweak theory. However, a notable difference is that while the Higgs field $\Phi$ of electroweak theory is taken as a genuine dynamical field satisfying a Klein-Gordon equation, the gauge independent norm $V^2\equiv \eta_{ab}V^{a}V^{b}$ of the Higgs-type field $V^a$ is typically regarded as non-dynamical. Instead, in many treatments $V^a$ does not appear explicitly in the formalism or is required to satisfy $V^2 = \mathrm{const.} \neq 0$ by means of a Lagrangian constraint. As an alternative to this we propose a class of polynomial actions that treat both the gauge connection $A^{a}_{\phantom{a}b\mu}$ and Higgs field $V^a$ as genuine dynamical fields with no ad-hoc constraints imposed. The resultant equations of motion consist of a set of first-order partial differential equations. We show that for certain actions these equations may be cast in a second-order form, corresponding to a scalar-tensor model of gravity. One simple choice leads to the extensively studied Peebles-Ratra rolling quintessence model. Another choice yields a scalar-tensor symmetry broken phase of the theory with positive cosmological constant and an effective mass $M$ of the gravitational Higgs field ensuring the constancy of $V^2$ at low energies and agreement with empirical data if $M$ is sufficiently large. More general cases are discussed corresponding to variants of Chern-Simons modified gravity and scalar-Euler form gravity, each of which yield propagating torsion., Comment: 2 figures, matches published version

Using the chiral representation for spinors we present a particularly transparent way to generate the most general spinor dynamics in a theory where gravity is ruled by the Einstein-Cartan-Holst action. In such theories torsion need not vanish, but it can be re-interpreted as a 4-fermion self-interaction within a torsion-free theory. The self-interaction may or may not break parity invariance, and may contribute positively or negatively to the energy density, depending on the couplings considered. We then examine cosmological models ruled by a spinorial field within this theory. We find that while there are cases for which no significant cosmological novelties emerge, the self-interaction can also turn a mass potential into an upside-down Mexican hat potential. Then, as a general rule, the model leads to cosmologies with a bounce, for which there is a maximal energy density, and where the cosmic singularity has been removed. These solutions are stable, and range from the very simple to the very complex., Comment: Version published in Physical Review D

Gravity is commonly thought of as one of the four force fields in nature. However, in standard formulations its mathematical structure is rather different from the Yang-Mills fields of particle physics that govern the electromagnetic, weak, and strong interactions. This paper explores this dissonance with particular focus on how gravity couples to matter from the perspective of the Cartan-geometric formulation of gravity. There the gravitational field is represented by a pair of variables: 1) a `contact vector' $V^A$ which is geometrically visualized as the contact point between the spacetime manifold and a model spacetime being `rolled' on top of it, and 2) a gauge connection $A_{\mu}^{\ph\mu AB}$, taken to be valued in the Lie algebra of SO(2,3) or SO(1,4), which mathematically determines how much the model spacetime is rotated when rolled. By insisting on two principles, the {\em gauge principle} and {\em polynomial simplicity}, we show how one can reformulate the standard matter field actions in a way that is harmonious with Cartan's geometric construction. This yields a formulation of all matter fields in terms of first order partial differential equations. We show in detail how the standard second order formulation can be recovered. Furthermore, the energy-momentum and spin-density three-forms are naturally combined into a single object here denoted the spin-energy-momentum three-form. Finally, we highlight a peculiarity in the mathematical structure of our first-order formulation of Yang-Mills fields. This suggests a way to unify a U(1) gauge field with gravity into a SO(1,5)-valued gauge field using a natural generalization of Cartan geometry in which the larger symmetry group is spontaneously broken down to $SO(1,3)\times U(1)$. The coupling of this unified theory to matter fields and possible extensions to non-Abelian gauge fields are left as open questions., Comment: Updated to match content of published version

The primary aim of this paper is to provide a simple and concrete interpretation of Cartan geometry in terms of the mathematics of idealized waywisers. Waywisers, also called hodometers, are instruments traditionally used to measure distances. The mathematical representation of an idealized waywiser consists of a choice of symmetric space called a {\em model space} and represents the `wheel' of the idealized waywiser. The geometry of a manifold is then completely characterized by a pair of variables $\{V^A(x),A^{AB}(x)\}$, each of which admit simple interpretations: $V^A$ is the point of contact between the waywiser's idealized wheel and the manifold whose geometry one wishes to characterize, and $A^{AB}=A_\mu^{\phantom{\mu} AB}dx^\mu$ is a connection one-form dictating how much the idealized wheel of the waywiser has rotated when rolled along the manifold. The familiar objects from differential geometry (e.g. metric $g_{\mu\nu}$, affine connection $\Gamma^\rho_{\mu\nu}$, co-tetrad $e^I$, torsion $T^I$, spin-connection $\omega^{IJ}$, Riemannian curvature $R^{IJ}$) can be seen as compound objects made out of the waywiser variables $\{V^A,A^{AB}\}$. We then generalize this waywiser approach to relativistic spacetimes and exhibit action principles for General Relativity in terms of the waywiser variables for two choices of model spacetimes: De Sitter and anti-De Sitter spacetimes., Comment: Some typos corrected and presentation cleaned up in places. Much of the content of this paper may also be found in the larger and more recent paper arXiv:1411.1679

It is well-known that General Relativity with positive cosmological constant can be formulated as a gauge theory with a broken SO(1,4) symmetry. This symmetry is broken by the presence of an internal space-like vector $V^A$, $A=0,...,4$, with SO(1,3) as a residual invariance group. Attempts to ascribe dynamics to the field $V^{A}$ have been made in the literature but so far with limited success. Regardless of this issue we can take the view that $V^A$ might actually vary across spacetime and in particular become null or time-like. In this paper we will study the case where $V^A$ is null. This is shown to correspond to a Lorentz violating modified theory of gravity. Using the isomorphism between the de Sitter group and the spatial conformal group, $SO(1,4)\simeq C(3)$, we show that the resulting gravitational field equations are invariant under all the symmetries, but spatial translations, of the conformal group C(3).

The theory of cosmological perturbations is extended to spacetimes displaying isotropic expansion but anisotropic curvature. The perturbed Einstein equation and Boltzmann equations for massless and massive particles are derived in a general gauge and a decomposition of perturbations into harmonic modes and moments is proposed. Generalization to the case where anisotropic expansion is also present in the background is discussed., Comment: Updated version: Citation added and a couple of typos in appendices corrected- TGZ

Modified Newtonian Dynamics is an empirical modification to Poisson's equation which has had success in accounting for the `gravitational field' $\Phi$ in a variety of astrophysical systems. The field $\Phi$ may be interpreted in terms of the weak field limit of a variety of spacetime geometries. Here we consider three of these geometries in a more comprehensive manner and look at the effect on timelike and null geodesics. In particular we consider the Aquadratic Lagrangian (AQUAL) theory, Tensor-Vector-Scalar (TeVeS) theory and Generalized Einstein-{\AE}ther (GEA) theory. We uncover a number of novel features, some of which are specific to the theory considered while others are generic. In the case of AQUAL and TeVeS theories, the spacetime exhibits an excess (AQUAL) or deficit (TeVeS) solid angle akin to the case of a Barriola-Vilenkin global monopole. In the case of GEA, a disformal symmetry of the action emerges in the limit of $\grad\Phi\rightarrow 0$. Finally, in all theories studied, massive particles can never reach spatial infinity while photons can do so only after experiencing infinite redshift., Comment: 18 pages

We present a comprehensive investigation of cosmological constraints on the class of vector field formulations of modified gravity called Generalized Einstein-Aether models. Using linear perturbation theory we generate cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure spectra for general parameters of the theory, and then constrain them in various ways. We investigate two parameter regimes: a dark-matter candidate where the vector field sources structure formation, and a dark-energy candidate where it causes late-time acceleration. We find that the dark matter candidate does not fit the data, and identify five physical problems that can restrict this and other theories of dark matter. The dark energy candidate does fit the data, and we constrain its fundamental parameters; most notably we find that the theory's kinetic index parameter $n_{\mathrm{ae}}$ can differ significantly from its $\Lambda$CDM value., Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures

The Einstein-Aether theory provides a simple, dynamical mechanism for breaking Lorentz invariance. It does so within a generally covariant context and may emerge from quantum effects in more fundamental theories. The theory leads to a preferred frame and can have distinct experimental signatures. In this letter, we perform a comprehensive study of the cosmological effects of the Einstein-Aether theory and use observational data to constrain it. Allied to previously determined consistency and experimental constraints, we find that an Einstein-Aether universe can fit experimental data over a wide range of its parameter space, but requires a specific rescaling of the other cosmological densities., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures

We study the cosmological stability of a class of theories with a dynamical preferred frame. For a range of actions, we find cosmological solutions which are compatible with observations of the recent history of the Universe: a matter dominated era followed by accelerated expansion. We then study the evolution of linear perturbations on these backgrounds and find conditions on the parameters of the theory which allow for the growth of structure sourced by the new degrees of freedom.

A self consistent effective field theory of modified gravity has recently been proposed with spontaneous breaking of local Lorentz invariance. The symmetry is broken by a vector field with the wrong-sign mass term and it has been shown to have additional graviton modes and modified dispersion relations. In this paper we study the evolution of a homogeneous and isotropic universe in the presence of such a vector field with a minimum lying along the time-like direction. A plethora of different regimes is identified, such as accelerated expansion, loitering, collapse and tracking.

There is evidence that Newton and Einstein's theories of gravity cannot explain the dynamics of a universe made up solely of baryons and radiation. To be able to understand the properties of galaxies, clusters of galaxies and the universe on the whole it has become commonplace to invoke the presence of dark matter. An alternative approach is to modify the gravitational field equations to accommodate observations. We propose a new class of gravitational theories in which we add a new degree of freedom, the Aether, in the form of a vector field that is coupled covariantly, but non-minimally, with the space-time metric. We explore the Newtonian and non-Newtonian limits, discuss the conditions for these theories to be consistent and explore their effect on cosmology., Comment: Updated version: Notation improved - TGZ

Bekenstein's theory of relativistic gravity is conventionally written as a bi-metric theory. The two metrics are related by a disformal transformation defined by a dynamical vector field and a scalar field. In this comment we show that the theory can be re-written as Vector-Tensor theory akin to Einstein-Aether theories with non-canonical kinetic terms. We discuss some of the implications of this equivalence., Comment: Updated version: Notation cleaned up and some typos corrected-TGZ