Year: 1994
Type: article
Abstract: I discuss the relation between arbitrarily high-order theories of gravity and scalar--tensor gravity at the level of the field equations and the action. I show that (2n+4)-order gravity is dynamically equivalent to Brans--Dicke gravity with an interaction potential for the Brans--Dicke field and n further scalar fields. This scalar--tensor action is then conformally equivalent to the Einstein--Hilbert action with n+1 scalar fields. This clarifies the nature and extent of the conformal equivalence between extended gravity theories and general relativity with many scalar fields.
Source: Classical and Quantum Gravity
Author: David Wands
Institution: University of Sussex
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W1973135951