Coupling Metric-Affine Gravity to the Standard Model and Dark Matter Fermions

Abstract

General Relativity (GR) exists in different formulations, which are equivalent in pure gravity. Once matter is included, however, observable predictions generically depend on the version of GR. In order to quantify the resulting ambiguity, we employ metric-affine gravity, which encompasses as special cases the metric, Palatini, Einstein-Cartan and Weyl formulations. We first discuss the interaction of fermions with torsion and non-metricity, also commenting on projective symmetry. With a view towards the Standard Model, we then construct a generic model of (complex) scalar, fermionic and gauge fields coupled to GR and derive an equivalent metric theory, which features numerous new interaction terms. As a first observable consequence, we point out that a gravitational mechanism for producing dark matter in the form of singlet fermions can be used to distinguish between metric gravity and other formulations of GR.

Comments: 54 pages, 3 appendices; v2: small improvements and moved some material from main part to appendices, matches published version (up to references)