Sixth-order gravity and conformal transformations. (English) Zbl 0693.53037
Summary: We derive field equations for sixth-order gravity with the Lagrangian containing the terms \(R\square R\) and \(R^ 2\) and show its conformal equivalence to the Einstein theory with two interacting scalar fields. Their masses are calculated in the weak-field limit. This equivalence is generalized to higher order gravity in the linearised case. Inflationary regimes are investigated.
MSC:
53B50 | Applications of local differential geometry to the sciences |
83D05 | Relativistic gravitational theories other than Einstein’s, including asymmetric field theories |