High Energy Physics Seminar

Many basic features of long-distance physics can be derived from the consistent interactions of particles with spin in flat space.   But Lorentz-invariance allows a more general notion of "spin" for free massless particles than is generally considered -- Wigner's so-called "continuous spin" representations.  After introducing what a continuous spin particle (or CSP) would mean and relating it to the familiar case of massless (half)-integer helicity particles, I will summarize recent results suggesting that CSPs can consistently interact and progress in describing them via field-theory.
I will also elaborate on the surprising finding that CSP interactions mimic those of standard helicity 0,1, and 2 theories.
References: arXiv:1302.1198,arXiv:1302.1577, arXiv:1302.3225