Dynamics of Gauss-Bonnet theory in 4 dimensions

by Máximo Bañados (Universidad Catolica de Chile)

Monday 23 Jun 2025, 14:30 → 16:30 Europe/Rome

1/2-2 - Aula C (Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia - Edificio Marzolo)

Understanding the full dynamics (Hamiltonian structure, number of physical degrees of freedom, etc) of theories of gravity with quadratic or higher order curvature interactions is normally very difficult. A notably exception occurs with the Gauss-Bonnet interaction (with the metric and connection treated as independent variables). We will show that this theory possesses a large and unexpected set of local symmetries allowing a full understanding of its classical dynamics.