f(T) gravity and local Lorentz invariance

Journal Article · Tue Mar 15 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.83.064035· OSTI ID:21537555

Baojiu, Li ^[1]; Sotiriou, Thomas P; Barrow, John D ^[1]

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1. DAMTP, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0WA (United Kingdom)

We show that in theories of generalized teleparallel gravity, whose Lagrangians are algebraic functions of the usual teleparallel Lagrangian, the action and the field equations are not invariant under local Lorentz transformations. We also argue that these theories appear to have extra degrees of freedom with respect to general relativity. The usual teleparallel Lagrangian, which has been extensively studied and leads to a theory dynamically equivalent to general relativity, is an exception. Both of these facts appear to have been overlooked in the recent literature on f(T) gravity, but are crucial for assessing the viability of these theories as alternative explanations for the acceleration of the Universe.

• OSTI ID: 21537555
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Vol. 83, Issue 6; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.83.064035; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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