From massive gravity to modified general relativity

Abstract

Massive gravity which has been constructed from a cohomological formulation of gauge invariance by means of the descent equations is here investigated in the classical limit. Gauge invariance requires a vector-graviton field v coupled to the massive tensor field h _μν . In the limit of vanishing graviton mass the v-field does not decouple. On the classical level this leads to a modification of general relativity. The contribution of the v-field to the energy-momentum tensor can be interpreted as dark matter density and pressure. We solve the modified field equations in the simplest spherically symmetric geometry.