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arXiv · 2101.12688

Classical Gravitational Bremsstrahlung from a Worldline Quantum Field Theory

Gustav Uhre Jakobsen·Gustav Mogull·Jan Plefka·Jan Steinhoff
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Abstract

Using the recently established formalism of a worldline quantum field theory (WQFT) description of the classical scattering of two spinless black holes, we compute the far-field time-domain waveform of the gravitational waves produced in the encounter at leading order in the post-Minkowskian (weak field, but generic velocity) expansion. We reproduce previous results of Kovacs and Thorne in a highly economic way. Then using the waveform we extract the leading-order total radiated angular momentum and energy (including differential results). Our work may enable crucial improvements of gravitational-wave predictions in the regime of large relative velocities.

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Gustav Uhre Jakobsen, Gustav Mogull, Jan Plefka, Jan Steinhoff. 2021-01-29. Classical Gravitational Bremsstrahlung from a Worldline Quantum Field Theory. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.126.201103

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