Causality Constraints on Corrections to the Graviton Three-Point Coupling

by Dr Xian Camanho (Albert-Einstein-Institut, Golm, Berlin)

Monday 1 Dec 2014, 11:30 → 12:30 Asia/Kolkata

A304

We consider higher derivative corrections to the graviton three-point coupling within a weakly coupled theory of gravity. We argue that these are constrained by causality by means of a thought experiment involving a high energy scattering process. This violation cannot be fixed by adding conventional particles with spins lower or equal to two. But, it may be fixed by adding an infinite tower of extra massive particles with higher spins. In AdS theories these causality conditions can be traced back to the positivity of certain energy flux correlators and this implies a constraint on the coefficients of the conformal anomaly.