Three-dimensional Spin-3 Theories Based on General Kinematical Algebras

Abstract

We initiate the study of non- and ultra-relativistic higher spin theories. For sake of simplicity we focus on the spin-3 case in three dimensions. We classify all kinematical algebras that can be obtained by all possible Inönü--Wigner contraction procedures of the kinematical algebra of spin-3 theory in three dimensional (anti-) de Sitter space-time. We demonstrate how to construct associated actions of Chern--Simons type, directly in the ultra-relativistic case and by suitable algebraic extensions in the non-relativistic case. We show how to give these kinematical algebras an infinite-dimensional lift by imposing suitable boundary conditions in a theory we call "Carroll Gravity", whose asymptotic symmetry algebra turns out to be an infinite-dimensional extension of the Carroll algebra.

32+12 pages, 2 figures; v2: 1 footnote, 4 refs; v3: 1 ref corrected, 1 ref updated