f(T) Gravity and local Lorentz invariance

Li, B.; Sotiriou, T.P.; Barrow, J.D.

Abstract

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.

Citation

Li, B., Sotiriou, T., & Barrow, J. (2011). f(T) Gravity and local Lorentz invariance. Physical Review D, 83(6), Article 064035. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.83.064035

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Mar 24, 2011
• Deposit Date: Jan 20, 2012
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 16, 2014
• Journal: Physical Review D
• Print ISSN: 1550-7998
• Electronic ISSN: 1550-2368
• Publisher: American Physical Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 83
• Issue: 6
• Article Number: 064035
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.83.064035