A journey into higher-spin gauge theories

25th - 26th June, Seminar on A journey into higher-spin gauge theories by Prof. Andrea Campoleoni (Université Libre de Bruxelles and International Solvay Institutes) at the University of Catania, Department of Physics and Astronomy

Building interacting field theories involving particles with spin greater than two has been considered impossible for a long time. String Theory contains however massive excitations of arbitrary spin and many examples of interacting higher-spin gauge theories are by now available. After a brief introduction on the free theoryexamples circumvent the "classic" no-go arguments will be reviewed against higher-spin interactions, focusing on three-dimensional models. In this context many technical issues drastically simplify, but one can still uncover some of the peculiarities that higher-spin gauge symmetries bring about. Along the way, recent applications of higher-spin gauge theories in the context of String Theory and of the AdS/CFT correspondence will be highlighted.