Gravity with a dynamical preferred frame
Open accessAbstract
We study a generally covariant model in which local Lorentz invariance is broken by a dynamical unit timelike vector field ${u}^{a}$---the ``aether.'' Such a model makes it possible to study the gravitational and cosmological consequences of preferred frame effects, such as ``variable speed of light'' or high frequency dispersion, while preserving a generally covariant metric theory of gravity. In this paper we restrict attention to an action for an effective theory of the aether which involves only the antisymmetrized derivative ${\ensuremath{\nabla}}_{[a}{u}_{b]}.$ Without matter this theory is equivalent to a sector of the Einstein-Maxwell-charged dust system. The aether has two massless transverse excitations, and the solutions of the model include all vacuum solutions of general relativity (as well as other solutions). However, the aether generally develops gradient singularities which signal a breakdown of this effective theory. Including the symmetrized derivative in the action for the aether field may cure this problem.
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Making all Lorentz violating tensors dynamical removes prior geometry.
“The solution is to make all Lorentz violating tensors dynamical [173, 157], thereby removing prior geometry.”
From Modern Tests of Lorentz Invariance (2005) · cites this paper as [157]
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- Authors
- Jacobson, T., & Mattingly, D.
- Affiliations
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
- ORCID
- Mattingly, David
- Venue
- Physical Review D
- Publisher
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Published
- 2001-06-26
- Volume
- 64
- Issue
- 2
- ISSN
- 0556-2821 (ISSN-L)
- 1089-4918
- OpenAlex
- W2162957442
- Cited by
- 944
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 40 · 2025: 87 · 2024: 47 · 2023: 47 · 2022: 51 · 2021: 50 · 2020: 48 · 2019: 43 · 2018: 72 · 2017: 47 · 2016: 41 · 2015: 35 · 2014: 49 · 2013: 32 · 2012: 31
- FWCI
- 5.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- arxiv.org
- Locations
- Physical review. D. Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology/Physical review. D. Particles and fields (publishedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University) (publishedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Cosmology and Gravitation Theories
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Relativity and Gravitational Theory
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Statistical and Nonlinear Physics › Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories
- Keywords
- aether, local Lorentz invariance violation, variable speed of light, high-frequency dispersion, cosmological solutions
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