Abstract
We construct a quadratic curvature theory of gravity whose graviton propagator around the Minkowski background respects wordline inversion symmetry, the particle approximation to modular invariance in string theory. This symmetry automatically yields a corresponding gravitational theory that is nonlocal, with the action containing infinite order differential operators. As a consequence, despite being a higher order derivative theory, it is ghost-free and has no degrees of freedom besides the massless spin-2 graviton of Einstein’s general relativity. By working in the linearised regime we show that the point-like singularities that afflict the (local) Einstein’s theory are smeared out.
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Abel, S., Buoninfante, L. & Mazumdar, A. Nonlocal gravity with worldline inversion symmetry. J. High Energ. Phys. 2020, 3 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP01(2020)003
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP01(2020)003