Directional massive gravity

Abstract

We propose a new model of Lorentz breaking massive gravity in which the mass of the graviton depends from the space-time directions. We explore its consistency: absence of ghosts, tachyons, gradient instabilities, VDVZ discontinuities. We demonstrate that the model is not plagued by any pathology in a large region of parameters space. Within this new theory, we find several interesting phenomena. First of all, gravitational waves propagate an-isotropically in space-time. Second, we find anisotropic corrections to the Newtonian potential, with new extra Yukawa-like phases. Such a scenario also carries intriguing consequences in context of large extra dimensions proposals, as a confinement mechanism of gravity in [Formula: see text] dimensions.