A Spin-2 Conjecture on the Swampland

Daniel Klaewer, Dieter Lüst, Eran Palti

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

38 Scopus citations

Abstract

We consider effective theories with massive fields that have spins larger than or equal to two. We conjecture a universal cutoff scale on any such theory that depends on the lightest mass of such fields. This cutoff corresponds to the mass scale of an infinite tower of states, signalling the breakdown of the effective theory. The cutoff can be understood as the Weak Gravity Conjecture applied to the Stückelberg gauge field in the mass term of the high spin fields. A strong version of our conjecture applies even if the graviton itself is massive, so to massive gravity. We provide further evidence for the conjecture from string theory.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1800102
JournalFortschritte der Physik
Volume67
Issue number1-2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2019
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • effective field theory
  • massive gravity
  • swampland

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Physics and Astronomy

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