Renormalizability of Massive Gravity in Three Dimensions

It has been suggested that new massive gravity with higher order terms in the curvature may be renormalizable and thus a candidate for renormalizable quantum gravity. We show that three-dimensional gravity that contains quadratic scalar curvature and Ricci tensor is renormalizable, but those theories with special relation between their coefficients including new massive gravity are not.

The purpose of this work is to present a model for 3D massive gravity with topological and higher-derivative terms. Causality and unitarity are discussed at tree-level. Power-counting renormalizability is also contemplated.

We consider renormalizability of topologically massive gravity in three space-time dimensions. With a usual parametrization of the metric tensor, we establish the statement that topologically massive gravity is in fact renormalizable. In this proof, we make use of not only a recently found, new infrared regularization method of scalar mode but also a covariant ultraviolet regulator with a specific combination of higher derivative terms which is motivated by the new massive gr...

We examine a unitarity of a particular higher-derivative extension of general relativity in three space-time dimensions, which has been recently shown to be equivalent to the Pauli-Fierz massive gravity at the linearized approximation level, and explore a possibility of generalizing the model to higher space-time dimensions. We find that the model in three dimensions is indeed unitary in the tree-level, but the corresponding model in higher dimensions is not so due to the app...

It has been suggested that higher-derivative gravity theories coupled to a scalar field with shift symmetry may be an important candidate for a quantum gravity. We show that this class of gravity theories are renormalizable in D = 3 and 4 dimensions.

We analyze the effect of the Pauli-Fierz mass term on a recently established, new massive gravity theory in three space-time dimensions. We show that the Pauli-Fierz mass term makes the new massive gravity theory non-unitary. Moreover, although we add the gravitational Chern-Simons term to this model, the situation remains unchanged and the theory stays non-unitary in spite that structure of the graviton propagator is greatly changed. Thus, the Pauli-Fierz mass term is not al...

In 3+1 space-time dimensions, fourth order derivative gravity is perturbatively renormalizable. Here it is shown that it describes a unitary theory of gravitons (with/without an additional scalar) in a limited coupling parameter space which includes standard cosmology. The running of gravitational constant which includes contribution of graviton is computed. It is shown that generically Newton's constant vanishes at short distance in this perturbatively renormalizable and uni...

We hereby introduce and extensively study a class of non-polynomial higher derivative theories of gravity that realize a ultraviolet (UV) completion of Einstein general relativity. These theories are unitary (ghost free) and at most only one-loop divergences survive. The outcome is a class of theories super-renormalizable in even dimension and finite in odd dimension. Moreover, we explicitly prove in D=4 that there exists an extension of the theory that is completely finite a...

This work explores an alternative solution to the problem of renormalizability in Einstein gravity. In the proposed approach, Einstein gravity is transformed into the renormalizable theory of four-derivative gravity by applying a field redefinition containing an infinite number of higher derivatives. It is also shown that the current-current amplitude is invariant with the field redefinition, and thus the unitarity of Einstein gravity is preserved.

We review a class of higher derivative theories of gravity consistent at quantum level. This class is marked by a non-polynomal entire function (form factor), which averts extra degrees of freedom (including ghosts) and improves the high energy behaviour of the loop amplitudes. By power counting arguments, it is proved that the theory is super-renormalizable, i.e. only one-loop divergences survive. At classical level, black holes and cosmological solutions are singularity fre...