Non-local form factors for curved-space antisymmetric fields

TL;DR

This paper confirms the quantum equivalence of certain antisymmetric tensor fields to other field theories using covariant calculations, and discusses issues in the massless limit.

Contribution

It provides explicit covariant calculations of non-local form factors to verify quantum equivalence and analyzes the massless limit discontinuity.

Findings

Confirmed quantum equivalence of antisymmetric tensor fields to Proca and scalar fields

Performed explicit covariant calculations of non-local form factors

Discussed discontinuity of quantum contributions in the massless limit

Abstract

In the recent paper Buchbinder, Kirillova and Pletnev presented formal arguments concerning quantum equivalence of free massive antisymmetric tensor fields of second and third rank to the free Proca theory and massive scalar field with minimal coupling to gravity, respectively. We confirm this result using explicit covariant calculations of non-local form factors based on the heart-kernel technique, and discuss the discontinuity of quantum contributions in the massless limit.