A deformation of the Curtright action

Abstract

We present a deformation of the action principle for a free tensor field of mixed symmetry (2,1) --the Curtright action, a dual formulation of five-dimensional linearized gravity. It is constructed as the dual theory of the Einstein-Hilbert action linearized around a de Sitter background, and its derivation relies on the use of the two-potential formalism as an intermediate step. The resulting action principle is spatially non-local and space-time covariance is not manifest, thus overcoming previous no-go results.