# Conformal and Weyl-Einstein gravity: Classical geometrodynamics

## TL;DR

This paper develops a new Hamiltonian formulation for conformal and Weyl-Einstein gravity using unimodular-conformal variables, simplifying the analysis of conformal properties and symmetry breaking, and setting the stage for quantization.

## Contribution

It introduces a unimodular-conformal canonical framework for conformal gravity theories, clarifying conformal symmetry and its breaking, and facilitating future quantization efforts.

## Key findings

- Simplified constraint analysis through unimodular decomposition.
- Clear identification of conformal symmetry and its breaking mechanisms.
- Framework suitable for future quantum gravity research.

## Abstract

We present a new formulation for the canonical approach to conformal (Weyl-squared) gravity and its extension by the Einstein-Hilbert term and a nonminimally coupled scalar field. For this purpose we use a unimodular decomposition of the three-metric and introduce unimodular-conformal canonical variables. The important feature of this choice is that only the scale part of the three-metric and the rescaled trace part of the extrinsic curvature change under a conformal transformation. This significantly simplifies the constraint analysis and manifestly reveals the conformal properties of a theory that contains the conformally invariant Weyl-tensor term. The conformal symmetry breaking which occurs in the presence of the Einstein-Hilbert term and a nonconformally coupled scalar field can then be interpreted directly in terms of this scale and this trace. We also discuss in detail the generator for the conformal transformations. This new Hamiltonian formulation is especially suitable for quantization, which will be the subject of a separate paper.