Gauge invariance versus masslessness in de Sitter spaces

Abstract

The connection between gauge invariance, masslessness and null cone propagation is a flat space property which does not persist even in constant curvature geometries. In particular, we show that both the gauge invariant spin 3/2 and 2 fields in anti-de Sitter space have support inside the cone, whereas where are conformally invariant, but gauge variant, models which do propagate on the light cone. The Maxwell field in constant curvature spaces of dimension other than four also does not have null cone propagation; again there is a conformally invariant model which does.