Theory HEP Seminar

Galileons, Modified Gravity and New Field Theories

Mark Trodden

University of Pennsylvania

I will describe a relatively new class of scalar field theories - the Galileons. I will discuss how these arise in the context of modifications to gravity in higher dimensions; their fascinating physical properties; how they can be generalized; their relation to consistent massive gravity theories; and their classification. I will finish with some speculations on how they may be useful in particle physics and cosmology.