Quantum massive conformal gravity

TL;DR

This paper develops a quantization of massive conformal gravity, demonstrating its renormalizability but also the presence of ghost states, and discusses potential high-energy decoupling of these ghosts.

Contribution

It introduces a linear approximation and quantization method for massive conformal gravity, revealing its renormalizability and ghost issues, with a discussion on high-energy ghost decoupling.

Findings

Quantum massive conformal gravity is renormalizable.

The theory contains ghost states.

Possible decoupling of ghosts at high energies.

Abstract

We first find the linear approximation of the second plus fourth order derivative massive conformal gravity action. Then we reduce the linearized action to separated second order derivative terms, which allows us to quantize the theory by using the standard first order canonical quantization method. It is shown that quantum massive conformal gravity is renormalizable but has ghost states. A possible decoupling of these ghost states at high energies is discussed.