AI--Assisted Exploration: DHOST Theories without Quantum Ghosts

[2604.16531] AI--Assisted Exploration: DHOST Theories without Quantum Ghosts Skip to main content Search Submit Donate Log in Search arXiv Press Enter to search · Advanced search Astrophysics > Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics arXiv:2604.16531 (astro-ph) [Submitted on 16 Apr 2026 ( v1 ), last revised 15 Aug 2026 (this version, v2)] Title: AI--Assisted Exploration: DHOST Theories without Quantum Ghosts Authors: Ginevra Braga , Raul Jimenez , Sabino Matarrese View a PDF of the paper titled AI--Assisted Exploration: DHOST Theories without Quantum Ghosts, by Ginevra Braga and 2 other authors View PDF HTML (experimental) Abstract: We ask whether a local symmetry can organize both classical degeneracy and perturbative stability in DHOST theories. An AI-assisted search finds a candidate in a constant-disformal image of Einstein gravity. We identify it as a field-dependent diffeomorphism plus a vertical translation of a spectator scalar and extend it to every regular first-derivative map $\widetilde g_{\mu\nu}=C(\phi,X)g_{\mu\nu}-D(\phi,X)\nabla_\mu\phi\nabla_\nu\phi$, which pulls the spectator translation back to an exact local gauge redundancy. We derive its closed generator and show that $\mathcal J=C-XC_X+X^2D_X$ controls kinetic invertibility, the generator denominator and the metric-map determinant. This regular ($\mathcal J\neq0$) construction is distinct from non-invertible mimetic symmetry. We prove that a same-field sector $K(\phi,\widetilde X)$ preserves the local shift exactly when its scalar density is variationally trivial. For one scalar on a generic branch this requires constant $K$; nonconstant $K(\widetilde X)$ leaves only a global shift. The multi-field extension has local group $\mathbb R^n$ and admits determinant-type topological exceptions for $n\geq d$. Under standard local BV hypotheses, the spectator, its ghost and their antifields form a contractible quartet, so the spectator fibre adds no independent local counterterm, gauge deformation or anomaly class. The constant-map Einstein image is a special two-mode quartic-Horndeski subclass, while regular nonconstant $K$ restores one scalar. Finally, the complete canonical Einstein--scalar one-loop divergence shows that $(\widetilde\Box\phi)^2$ is equation-of-motion redundant at first loop order. The essential $\widetilde X^2$ pole pulls back to a first-derivative counterterm throughout the regular orbit and introduces no additional perturbative mode at $O(\hbar)$ within the stated hyperbolic EFT domain. Comments: results significantly strengthen, symmetry is now a theorem; findings expanded to larger class of DHOST theories Subjects: Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO) ; General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc); High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th) Cite as: arXiv:2604.16531 [astro-ph.CO] (or arXiv:2604.16531v2 [astro-ph.CO] for this version) https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.16531 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite Submission history From: Raul Jimenez [ view email ] [v1] Thu, 16 Apr 2026 18:15:19 UTC (560 KB) [v2] Sat, 15 Aug 2026 08:13:20 UTC (36 KB) Full-text links: Access Paper: View a PDF of the paper titled AI--Assisted Exploration: DHOST Theories without Quantum Ghosts, by Ginevra Braga and 2 other authors View PDF HTML (experimental) TeX Source view license Current browse context: astro-ph.CO < prev | next > new | recent | 2026-04 Change to browse by: astro-ph gr-qc hep-th References & Citations INSPIRE HEP NASA ADS Google Scholar Semantic Scholar export BibTeX citation Loading... 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