AT2 - Alternative Theories (B) |
Speaker_ |
Mosna, Ricardo |
Co-autors |
Alberto Saa |
Talk _ |
Deformed volume elements and physical models in geometries with torsion |
Abstract _ |
We reexamine the issue of consistency of minimal action formulation with the minimal coupling procedure (MCP) in spaces with torsion. In Riemann-Cartan spaces, it is known that a proper use of the MCP requires that the trace of the torsion tensor be a gradient, and that a modified volume element be used in the action formulation of a physical model. We rederive this result with considerably weaker assumptions, reinforcing some recent results about the inadequacy of propagating torsion theories of gravity to explain the available observational data. Finally, we show how these results open the door to possible applications of the modified volume element in the geometric theory of crystalline defects. |