A Shape Dynamics Tutorial

Abstract

Shape Dynamics (SD) is a new theory of gravity that is based on fewer and more fundamental first principles than General Relativity (GR). The most important feature of SD is the replacement of GR's relativity of simultaneity with a more tractable gauge symmetry, namely invariance under spatial conformal transformations. This Tutorial contains both a quick introduction for readers curious about SD and a detailed walk-through of the historical and conceptual motivations for the theory, its logical development from first principles and an in-depth description of its present status. The Tutorial is sufficiently self-contained for an undergrad student with some basic background in GR and Lagrangian/Hamiltonian mechanics. It is intended both as a reference text for students approaching the subject and as a review for researchers interested in the theory.