Non-linear partially massless symmetry in an SO(1,5) continuation of conformal gravity

Abstract: We construct a non-linear theory of interacting spin-2 fields that is invariant under the partially massless (PM) symmetry to all orders. This theory is based on the SO(1,5) group, in analogy with the SO(2,4) formulation of conformal gravity, but has a quadratic spectrum free of ghost instabilities. The action contains a vector field associated to a local SO(2) symmetry which is manifest in the vielbein formulation of the theory. We show that, in a perturbative expansion, the SO(2) symmetry transmutes into the PM transformations of a massive spin-2 field. In this context, the vector field is crucial to circumvent earlier obstructions to an order-by-order construction of PM symmetry. Although the non-linear theory lacks enough first class constraints to remove all helicity-0 modes from the spectrum, the PM transformations survive to all orders. The absence of ghosts and strong coupling effects at the non-linear level are not addressed here.