Third order extensions of $3d$ Chern-Simons interacting to gravity: Hamiltonian formalism and stability

TL;DR

This paper explores the Hamiltonian formalism and stability of 3D Einstein gravity coupled with third order Chern-Simons extensions, identifying conditions for bounded energy and consistent interactions, including non-Lagrangian cases.

Contribution

It introduces a Hamiltonian framework for third order vector field equations coupled to gravity, including non-Lagrangian interactions, and analyzes their stability and covariant structure.

Findings

Existence of a two-parameter series of symmetric tensors with vanishing divergence.

Identification of conditions under which the energy tensor meets the weak energy condition.

Development of a covariant first order formalism and Hamiltonian structure for the theory.

Abstract

We consider inclusion of interactions between 3d Einstein gravity and the third order extensions of Chern-Simons. Once the gravity is minimally included into the third order vector field equations, the theory is shown to admit a two-parameter series of symmetric tensors with on-shell vanishing covariant divergence. The canonical energy-momentum is included into the series. For a certain range of the model parameters, the series include the tensors that meet the weak energy condition, while the canonical energy is unbounded in all the instances. Because of the on-shell vanishing covariant divergence, any of these tensors can be considered as an appropriate candidate for the right hand side of Einstein's equations. If the source differs from the canonical energy momentum, the coupling is non-Lagrangian while the interaction remains consistent with any of the tensors. We reformulate these not necessarily Lagrangian third order equations in the first order formalism which is covariant in the sense of 1+2 decomposition. After that, we find the Poisson bracket such that the first order equations are Hamiltonian in all the instances, be the original third order equations Lagrangian or not. The brackets differ from canonical ones in the matter sector, while the gravity admits the usual PB's in terms of ADM variables. The Hamiltonian constraints generate lapse, shift and gauge transformations of the vector field with respect to these Poisson brackets. The Hamiltonian constraint, being the lapse generator, is interpreted as strongly conserved energy. The matter contribution to the Hamiltonian constraint corresponds to 00-component of the tensor included as a source in the right hand side of Einstein equations. Once the 00-component of the tensor is bounded, the theory meets the usual sufficient condition of classical stability, while the original field equations are of third order.