Very special linear gravity: A gauge-invariant graviton mass

Linearized gravity in the Very Special Relativity (VSR) framework is considered. We prove that this theory allows for a non-zero graviton mass mg without breaking gauge invariance nor modifying the relativistic dispersion relation. We find the analytic solution for the new equations of motion in our...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jorge Alfaro, Alessandro Santoni
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2022-06-01
Series:Physics Letters B
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269322002143
Description
Summary:Linearized gravity in the Very Special Relativity (VSR) framework is considered. We prove that this theory allows for a non-zero graviton mass mg without breaking gauge invariance nor modifying the relativistic dispersion relation. We find the analytic solution for the new equations of motion in our gauge choice, verifying as expected the existence of only two physical degrees of freedom. Finally, through the geodesic deviation equation, we confront some results for classic gravitational waves (GW) with the VSR ones: we see that the ratios between VSR effects and classical ones are proportional to (mg/E)2, E being the energy of a graviton in the GW. For GW detectable by the interferometers LIGO and VIRGO this ratio is at most 10−20. However, for GW in the lower frequency range of future detectors, like LISA, the ratio increases significantly to 10−10, that combined with the anisotropic nature of VSR phenomena may lead to observable effects.
ISSN:0370-2693