Weyl invariance and the origins of mass

By a uniform and simple Weyl invariant coupling of scale and matter fields, we construct theories that unify massless, massive, and partially massless excitations. Masses are related to tractor Weyl weights, and Breitenlohner-Freedman stability bounds in and de Sitter amount to reality of these weights. The method relies on tractor calculus - mathematical machinery allowing Weyl invariance to be kept manifest at all stages. The equivalence between tractor and higher spin systems with arbitrary spins and masses is also considered. (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier B.V.