Graviton Propagation in an Asymmetric Warped Background: Lorentz Violation and the Null Energy Condition

Abstract

The graviton propagation in an asymmetric background is studied. The background is a configuration in the six-dimensional Salam-Sezgin model, in which a 3-form H-field turned on [JHEP 0910(2009)086]. The compact dimensions form a cylindrical space with branes as boundaries. The background gets asymmetry due to the H-field and violates the Lorentz symmetry. We derive the graviton equation in this background and show that it gets massless mode traveling with superluminal speed. A tower of K-K modes exists with a mass gap. On the other hand, it is known that breaking the Lorentz symmetry on an asymmetric background is constrained by the null energy condition. This no-go theorem doesn't work well in six-dimensional space-times and by this model we provide a counterexample for which the null energy condition is satisfied while the Lorentz symmetry is gravitationally violated.