nLab
higher spin gauge theory

Idea

The target space spectrum of the string sigma-model contains beyond the massless particles of the effective supergravity theory an infinite tower of massive excitations, of ever higher spin. There are, however, certain limits in which all these masses become negligible to a reference energy scale, notably for compactifications on anti de Sitter spaces of small radius. In this limit the string spectrum looks like a an infinite collection of massless spinning particles for ever higher spin. Due to their common orgin in the string, these share intricate relations among each other, which are described by what Vasiliev termed higher spin gauge theory.

References

General

Original articles include

• Mikhail Vasiliev?, Higher-Spin Gauge Theories in Four, Three and Two Dimensions (arXiv:hep-th/9611024)

Reviews and lecture notes include

• Mikhail Vasiliev?, Higher Spin Gauge Theories in Various Dimensions 27th Johns Hopkins Workshop on Current Problems in Particle Theory: Symmetries and Mysteries of M Theory (pdf)

• Mikhail Vasiliev?, Higher spin gauge theories in any dimension talk at String2004 in Moscow (pdf)

• R. Argurio, Glenn Barnich, G. Bonelli, M. Grigoriev (eds.) Higher spin gauge theories Solvay Workshops and Symposia (2004) (pdf)

Further developments include for instance

• Johan Engquist, Olaf Hohm, Geometry and dynamics of higher-spin frame fields (arXiv:0708.1391)

Relation to other systems

• Marc Henneaux, Axel Kleinschmidt, Hermann Nicolai, Higher spin gauge fields and extended Kac-Moody symmetries (arXiv:1110.4460)

Higher spin Chern-Simons theory

Chern-Simons theory for higher spin fields is discussed in

• M P Blencowe, A consistent interacting massless higher-spin field theory in $D=2+1$ Classical and quantum gravity, volume 6 no 4 (1998)

• E. S. Fradkin, V. Ya. Linetsky, a Superconformal Theory of Massless Higher Spin Fields in D=2+1 (web)

• Johan Engquist, Olaf Hohm, Higher-spin Chern-Simons theories in odd dimensions (arXiv:0705.3714)

Relation to holography

We list references that discuss the relation of higher spin gauge theory to the AdS/CFT correspondence.

• Simone Giombi, Xi Yin, Higher Spin Gauge Theory and Holography: The Three-Point Functions (arXiv:0912.3462)

• Simone Giombi, Xi Yin, Higher Spins in AdS and Twistorial Holography (arXiv:1004.3736)