On the spin of gravitational bosons Article uri icon

abstract

  • We unearth spacetime structure of massive vector bosons, gravitinos, and gravitons. While the curvatures associated with these particles carry a definite spin, the underlying potentials cannot be, and should not be, interpreted as single spin objects. For instance, we predict that a spin measurement in the rest frame of a massive gravitino will yield the result 3/2 with probability one half, and 1/2 with probability one half. The simplest scenario leaves the Riemannian curvature unaltered; thus avoiding conflicts with classical tests of the theory of general relativity. However, the quantum structure acquires additional contributions to the propagators, and it gives rise to additional phases.

publication date

  • 2002-01-01

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