Bremen 2017 – scientific programme

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GR: Fachverband Gravitation und Relativitätstheorie

GR 13: Grundlegende Probleme und allgemeiner Formalismus

GR 13.4: Talk

Thursday, March 16, 2017, 15:10–15:25, SFG 0140

Treating the Einstein-Hilbert action as a higher derivative theory: what can be learnt from this? — •Branislav Nikolic — Institute for Theoretical Physics, Cologne, Germany

The Einstein-Hilbert action is a first order theory — by an appropriate partial integration, it can be put into a form exhibiting up to first time derivatives of the metric in the canonical formulation. Here, we investigate some of the consequences that arise if the action is treated as a second order theory. It is shown, in particular, that information about a broken conformal symmetry can be exhibited if we introduce extrinsic curvature as an independent variable — a procedure usual for genuine second order theories; in the original formulation, this is not easily obtainable. We also discuss implications and further examples.