Modifications of Gravity Via Differential Transformations of Field Variables

Abstract

We discuss field theories appearing as a result of applying field transformations with derivatives (differential field transformations, DFTs) to a known theory. We begin with some simple examples of DFTs to see the basic properties of the procedure. In this process, the dynamics of the theory might either change or be conserved. After that, we concentrate on the theories of gravity which appear as a result of various DFTs applied to general relativity, namely the mimetic gravity and Regge–Teitelboim embedding theory. We review the main results related to the extension of dynamics in these theories, as well as the possibility to write down the action of a theory after DFTs as the action of the original theory before DFTs plus an additional term. Such a term usually contains some constraints with Lagrange multipliers and can be interpreted as an action of additional matter, which might be of use in cosmological applications, e.g., for the explanation of the effects of dark matter.