Higher-Spin Gauge Models in the BRST-antifield Formalism

Abstract

We examine the mass shell condition of the bosonic higher spin gauge models which are BRST deformations of the Fronsdal action in the BRST-antifield formalism. Assuming convergence of the infinite series of the deformation parameter, we will find that these models are free on-shell. We further investigate whether this nature persists for models with fermions and models on AdS spaces. We find that these models also turn out to be free on-shell after all. Furthermore, we point out that the cubic vertices of these models are BRST-exact.