3D gravity with propagating torsion: Hamiltonian structure of the scalar sector

We study the Hamiltonian structure of the general parity-invariant model of three-dimensional gravity with propagating torsion, with eight parameters in the Lagrangian. In the scalar sector, containing scalar or pseudoscalar modes with respect to maximally symmetric background, the phenomenon of constraint bifurcation is observed and analyzed. The stability of the Hamiltonian structure under linearization is used to identify dynamically acceptable values of parameters.