Gravity with a Dynamical Spinning Aether

TL;DR

This paper extends Einstein-aether theory by incorporating spinning degrees of freedom, leading to modified wave speeds and a formulation in teleparallel geometry, thus broadening the theory's kinematic and dynamical scope.

Contribution

It introduces a spin rotation variable into Einstein-aether theory, breaking certain symmetries and connecting the theory to teleparallel geometry.

Findings

Linear relationship between spin rotation, vorticity, and acceleration in weak fields

Modified speeds for spin 0 and spin 1 modes in wave solutions

Formulation of the extended theory within teleparallel geometry

Abstract

Einstein-aether theory is extended by allowing for spinning degrees of freedom of the aether. In addition to the acceleration, shear, expansion, and vorticity of the aether velocity field, a spin rotation describing the dynamics of a classical intrinsic angular momentum of the aether is introduced as a kinematic quantity. The action of Einstein-aether theory is augmented by a term quadratic in the spin rotation and by coupling terms with the vorticity and the acceleration. Besides breaking the Lorentz boost invariance, the theory breaks the invariance under spatial rotations in the direction of the aether velocity. In the weak field limit, there is a linear relationship between the spin rotation, the vorticity, and the acceleration. Linearized wave solutions correspond to the ones of Einstein-aether theory where the speeds of the spin 0 and spin 1 mode are modified. The extension of Einstein-aether theory has a natural formulation in the framework of a teleparallel geometry where the kinematic quantities become torsion fields.