An axial gauge ansatz for higher spin theories

TL;DR

This paper introduces an axial gauge ansatz for simplifying equations in four-dimensional higher spin theories, providing new solutions and insights into their structure and gauge transformations.

Contribution

It proposes a novel axial gauge ansatz that makes the equations of motion more manageable and finds a broad class of solutions in this gauge.

Findings

Derived a tractable form of equations of motion for higher spin theories.

Found a broad class of solutions in the axial gauge where spatial connection vanishes.

Discussed how to lift solutions to full spacetime configurations via gauge transformations.

Abstract

We present an ansatz which makes the equations of motion more tractable for the simplest of Vasiliev's four-dimensional higher spin theories. The ansatz is similar to axial gauge in electromagnetism. We present a broad class of solutions in the gauge where the spatial connection vanishes, and we discuss the lift of one of these solutions to a full spacetime solution via a gauge transformation.