Conformal Transformation in Gravity

Abstract

The conformal transformation in the Einstein - Hilbert action leads to a new frame where an extra scalar degree of freedom is compensated by the local conformal-like symmetry. We write down a most general action resulting from such transformation and show that it covers both general relativity and conformally coupled to gravity scalar field as the particular cases. On quantum level the equivalence between the different frames is disturbed by the loop corrections. New conformal-like symmetry in anomalous and, as a result, the theory is not finite on shell at the one-loop order.