Singularity theorems in the effective field theory for quantum gravity at second order in curvature

Abstract: In this paper we discuss singularity theorems in quantum gravity using effective field theory methods. To second order in curvature, this effective field theory contains two new degrees of freedom which have important implications for the derivation of these energy theorems: a massive spin-2 field and a massive spin-0 field. Using an explicit mapping of this theory from the Jordan frame to the Einstein frame, we show that both the cosmological and the black hole singularity theorems may not hold due to the presence of a massive spin-2 field in the particle spectrum of quantum gravity. Furthermore, we show that the massive scalar field can lead to a violation of the assumptions used to derive Hawking's singularity theorem. On the other hand, it does not affect Penrose's singularity theorem.