On Goldstone Fields with Spin Higher than 1/2

Abstract

We review the properties of 3d non-linear models of vector and vector-spinor Goldstone fields associated with the spontaneous breaking of certain higher-spin counterparts of supersymmetry (so-called Hietarinta algebras), whose Lagrangians are of the Volkov–Akulov type. At the quadratic order, these Lagrangians contain, respectively, the Chern–Simons and Rarita–Schwinger terms. The vector Goldstone model has a propagating degree of freedom which, in a decoupling limit, is a quartic Galileon scalar field (similar to those appearing in models of modified gravity). On the other hand, the vector-spinor goldstino retains the gauge symmetry of the Rarita–Schwinger action and eventually reduces to the latter by a non-linear field redefinition. We thus find that, in three space-time dimensions, the free Rarita–Schwinger action is invariant under a hidden rigid symmetry generated by fermionic vector-spinor operators and acting non-linearly on the Rarita–Schwinger goldstino.