arXiv · 2508.02785
Love beyond Einstein: Metric reconstruction and Love number in quadratic gravity using WEFT
Abstract
We study tidal Love numbers of static black holes in four-dimensional quadratic theory of gravity, extending the result of GR. We use worldline effective field theory (WEFT) methods to compute metric perturbations from one-point functions, treating the higher-derivative terms perturbatively. We show that insertions of scalar fields on the worldline induce non-zero tidal tails, and the corresponding Love number displays no RG running. The same conclusion holds for the insertions of tensor fields. Furthermore, for scalar dipole perturbations, we derive a Yukawa-deformed Frobenius solution and match the asymptotic behavior to fix the UV charge, finding agreement with EFT predictions of Wilson coefficients. Our work demonstrates that quadratic higher-curvature corrections induce non-zero but scale-independent tidal responses, offering a robust EFT framework to test deviations from GR in gravitational wave observations.
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Arpan Bhattacharyya, Saptaswa Ghosh, Naman Kumar, Shailesh Kumar, Sounak Pal. 2025-08-04. Love beyond Einstein: Metric reconstruction and Love number in quadratic gravity using WEFT. https://doi.org/10.1007/jhep11(2025)155
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