arXiv subjects

Gustav Mogull

Publications and source records attributed to Gustav Mogull.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Canonical Quantisation of Bound and Unbound WQFT

Using canonical quantisation, and eschewing the Schwinger-Keldysh path integral, we derive a version of the Worldline Quantum Field Theory (WQFT) formalism suitable for both scattering and bound configurations of the classical two-body problem. Focusing on a pair of charged particles interacting via a scalar field, we quantise Hamilton's equations both in flat space and around a non-zero background, perturbing in post-Lorentzian (PL) and self-force (SF) expansions respectively. Our quantisation procedure provides access to the Magnus series, and is perfectly suited for computing matrix elements of $\hat{N}(t,t_0)=- i \hbar \log\hat{U}(t,t_0)$, both with and without external scalar states, for finite time intervals (bound orbits) and infinite time intervals (scattering). Doing so, we provide a complete set of gauge-invariant matrix elements describing the 1SF scattering dynamics up to 3PL order, and corresponding matrix elements for bound orbits. We also demonstrate how $\hat{N}$-matrix elements encode physical observables, providing a unified operator-based framework for conservative and radiative dynamics of binary systems. The new WQFT formalism generalises naturally to both gravity and electromagnetism.

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arXiv2026

Conservative Black Hole Scattering at Fifth Post-Minkowskian and Second Self-Force Order

Using the worldline quantum field theory formalism, we compute conservative contributions to the scattering angle and impulse for classical black hole scattering at fifth post-Minkowskian (5PM) and second self-force (2SF) order. This four-loop calculation involves non-planar Feynman integrals and requires advanced integration-by-parts reduction, novel differential-equation strategies, and efficient boundary-integral algorithms to solve a system of hundreds of master integrals in four integral families on high-performance computing systems. The resulting function space includes multiple polylogarithms as well as iterated integrals with a K3 period, which generate a spurious velocity divergence at $v/c=\sqrt{8}/3$, $\gamma=3$. This divergence is present in the potential region and must be canceled by contributions from the radiative memory region, while its dimensional-regularisation pole should cancel against the radiative tail region. As the standard use of Feynman propagators fails to ensure this cancellation, we instead propose a ($\gamma$-3) conservative prescription that realises both cancellations, leading to a physically sensible answer. All available low-velocity checks of our result against the post-Newtonian literature are satisfied.

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arXiv2025

Unitarity and the On-Shell Action of Worldline Quantum Field Theory

We develop the on-shell action formalism within Worldline Quantum Field Theory (WQFT) to describe scattering of spinning compact bodies in General Relativity in the post-Minkowskian (PM) expansion. The real on-shell action is constructed from vacuum diagrams with causal (retarded) propagators from which scattering observables such as momentum impulse and spin kick follow via Poisson brackets of the initial scattering data. Furthermore, we explore the implications of unitarity at the level of the worldline and show how generalised unitarity techniques can be adapted to WQFT to efficiently compute multi-loop contributions. Our work establishes a concrete link between WQFT and amplitude-based methods, elucidating how unitarity cuts ensure equivalence between the on-shell action derived from either approach. Extending the state-of-the-art, we complete the full on-shell action -- including dissipative terms -- at (formal) 3PM order and up to quartic spin interactions on both massive bodies.

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arXiv2025

Highly accurate simulations of asymmetric black-hole scattering and cross validation of effective-one-body models

The study of unbound binary-black-hole encounters provides a gauge-invariant approach to exploring strong-field gravitational interactions in two-body systems, which can subsequently inform waveform models for bound orbits. In this work, we present 60 new highly accurate numerical relativity (NR) simulations of black-hole scattering, generated using the Spectral Einstein Code (SpEC). Our simulations include 14 spin-aligned configurations, as well as 16 configurations with unequal masses, up to a mass ratio of 10. We perform the first direct comparison of scattering angles computed using different NR codes, finding good agreement. We compare our NR scattering angle results to the post-Minkowskian (PM)-based effective-one-body (EOB) closed-form models SEOB-PM and $w_{\rm EOB}$, finding less than 5% deviation except near the scatter-capture separatrix. Comparisons with the post-Newtonian-based EOB evolution models SEOBNRv5 and TEOBResumS-Dal\'{i} reveal that the former agrees within 8% accuracy with non-spinning NR results across most parameter ranges, whereas the latter matches similarly at lower energies but diverges significantly at higher energies. Both evolution EOB models exhibit increased deviations for spinning systems, predicting a notably different location of the capture separatrix compared to NR. Our key result is the first measurement of disparate scattering angles from NR simulations due to asymmetric gravitational-wave emission. We compare these results to SEOB-PM models constructed to calculate the scattering angle of a single black hole in asymmetric systems.

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arXiv2025

Radiated Angular Momentum from Spinning Black Hole Scattering Trajectories

Using the worldline quantum field theory approach we derive solutions to the equations of motion for spinning massive bodies up to quadratic order in spins. At leading post-Minkowskian (PM) order these trajectories are obtained in the time domain, and at sub-leading order in the frequency domain. Our approach incorporates diagrammatic techniques and modern Feynman integration technologies, and includes a new family of loop integrals different to those seen in asymptotic PM calculations. Our results provide a new mechanism for computing the radiated angular momentum involved in gravitational scattering, which we reproduce at 2PM order up to linear spins. We have established a framework for computing higher-order effects to further extend the high-precision frontier in analytical gravitational wave physics, and push predictions for the radiated angular momentum to higher perturbative orders.

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arXiv2024

Emergence of Calabi-Yau manifolds in high-precision black hole scattering

Using the worldline quantum field theory formalism, we compute the radiation-reacted impulse, scattering angle, radiated energy and recoil of a classical black hole (or neutron star) scattering event at fifth post-Minkowskian and sub-leading self-force orders (5PM-1SF). This state-of-the-art four-loop computation employs advanced integration-by-parts and differential equation technology, and is considerably more challenging than the conservative 5PM-1SF counterpart. As compared with the conservative 5PM-1SF, in the radiation sector Calabi-Yau three-fold periods appear and contribute to the radiated energy and recoil observables. We give an extensive exposition of the canonicalization of the differential equations and provide details on boundary integrations, Feynman rules, and integration-by-parts strategies. Comparisons to numerical relativity are also performed.

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arXiv2024

Spinning bodies in general relativity from bosonic worldline oscillators

Worldline quantum field theory (WQFT) has proven itself a powerful tool for classical two-body scattering calculations in general relativity. In this paper we develop a new worldline action involving bosonic oscillators, which enables the use of the WQFT formalism to describe massive compact bodies to all orders in their spins. Inspired by bosonic string theory in the tensionless limit, we augment traditional trajectory variables with bosonic oscillators capturing the spin dependence. We show its equivalence to the covariant phase space description of a spinning body in curved space and clarify the role of the spin-supplementary condition in a Hamiltonian treatment. Higher-spin Hamiltonians are classified to linear and quadratic order in curvature. Finally, perturbative computations at 1PM order for arbitrary powers and orientations of spin and at 2PM up to quartic spin order are performed, recovering results from the literature.

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arXiv2024

Post-Minkowskian Theory Meets the Spinning Effective-One-Body Approach for Bound-Orbit Waveforms

Driven by advances in scattering amplitudes and worldline-based methods, recent years have seen significant progress in our ability to calculate gravitational two-body scattering observables. These observables effectively encapsulate the gravitational two-body problem in the weak-field and high-velocity regime (post-Minkowskian, PM), with applications to the bound two-body problem and gravitational-wave modeling. We leverage PM data to construct a complete inspiral-merger-ringdown waveform model for non-precessing spinning black holes within the effective-one-body (EOB) formalism: SEOBNR-PM. This model is closely based on the highly successful SEOBNRv5 model, used by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration, with its key new feature being an EOB Hamiltonian derived by matching the two-body scattering angle in a perturbative PM expansion. The model performs remarkably well, showing a median mismatch against 441 numerical-relativity (NR) simulations that is somewhat lower than a similarly calibrated version of SEOBNRv5. Comparisons of the binding energy with NR also demonstrate better agreement than SEOBNRv5, despite the latter containing additional calibration to NR simulations.

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arXiv2024

Conservative Black Hole Scattering at Fifth Post-Minkowskian and First Self-Force Order

We compute the 5PM order contributions to the scattering angle and impulse of classical black hole scattering in the conservative sector at first self-force order (1SF) using the worldline quantum field theory formalism. This challenging four-loop computation required the use of advanced integration-by-parts and differential equation technology implemented on high-performance computing systems. Use of partial fraction identities allowed us to render the complete integrand in a fully planar form. The resulting function space is simpler than expected: in the scattering angle we see only multiple polylogarithms up to weight three, and a total absence of the elliptic integrals that appeared at 4PM order. All checks on our result, both internal - cancellation of dimensional regularization poles, preservation of the on-shell condition - and external - matching the slow-velocity limit with the post-Newtonian (PN) literature up to 5PN order and matching the tail terms to the 4PM loss of energy - are passed.

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arXiv2024

Post-Minkowskian Theory Meets the Spinning Effective-One-Body Approach for Two-Body Scattering

Effective-one-body (EOB) waveforms employed by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration have primarily been developed by resumming the post-Newtonian expansion of the relativistic two-body problem. Given the recent significant advancements in post-Minkowskian (PM) theory and gravitational self-force formalism, there is considerable interest in creating waveform models that integrate information from various perturbative methods in innovative ways. This becomes particularly crucial when tackling the accuracy challenge posed by upcoming ground-based detectors (such as the Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer) and space-based detectors (such as LISA, TianQin or Taiji) expected to operate in the next decade. In this context, we present the derivation of the first spinning EOB Hamiltonian that incorporates PM results up to three-loop order: the SEOB-PM model. The model accounts for the complete hyperbolic motion, encompassing nonlocal-in-time tails. To evaluate its accuracy, we compare its predictions for the conservative scattering angle, augmented with dissipative contributions, against numerical-relativity data of non-spinning and spinning equal-mass black holes. We observe very good agreement, comparable, and in some cases slightly better to the recently proposed $w_{\rm EOB}$-potential model, of which the SEOB-PM model is a resummation around the probe limit. Indeed, in the probe limit, the SEOB-PM Hamiltonian and scattering angles reduce to the one of a test mass in Kerr spacetime. Once complemented with nonlocal-in-time contributions for bound orbits, the SEOB-PM Hamiltonian can be utilized to generate waveform models for spinning black holes on quasi-circular orbits.

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arXiv2023

Two-loop $\mathcal{N}=1$ SYM Amplitudes via SUSY Decomposition and Massive Spinor-Helicity

We obtain a color-kinematics-dual representation of the two-loop four-vector amplitude a general renormalizable massless $\mathcal{N}=1$ SYM theory, including internal matter as chiral supermultiplets. The integrand is constructed to be compatible with dimensional regularization and supersymmetry by employing two strategies (implicitly defining our regularization scheme): supersymmetric decomposition and matching to massive spinor-helicity amplitudes. All internal vector components inherit their $D$-dimensional properties by relating them to the previously constructed $D\leq6$, $\mathcal{N}=2$ SQCD amplitude using supersymmetric decomposition identities of individual diagrams. This leaves only diagrams with internal matter lines as unknown masters, which are in turn constrained on $D$-dimensional unitarity cuts by reinterpreting the extra-dimensional momentum components as masses for the chiral supermultiplets. We rely on the massive spinor-helicity formalism and massive on-shell $\mathcal{N}=1$ superspace, generalized here to complex masses. Finally, we extend the kinematic numerator algebra to include three-term identities that are dual to color identities linear in the matter Clebsch-Gordan coefficients, as well as two new optional identities satisfied by mass-deformed $\mathcal{N}=4$ and $\mathcal{N}=2$ SYM theories that preserve $\mathcal{N}=1$ supersymmetry. Altogether, these identities makes it possible to completely reduce the two-loop integrand to only two master numerators.

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arXiv2023

Tidal effects and renormalization at fourth post-Minkowskian order

We determine the adiabatic tidal contributions to the radiation reacted momentum impulse $\Delta p_i^\mu$ and scattering angle $\theta$ between two scattered massive bodies (neutron stars) at next-to-next-to-leading post-Minkowskian (PM) order. The state-of-the-art three-loop (4PM) worldline quantum field theory toolkit using dimensional regularization is employed to establish the classical observables. We encounter divergent terms in the gravito-electric and gravito-magnetic quadrupolar sectors necessitating the addition of post-adiabatic counterterms in this classical theory. This leads us to include also the leading post-adiabatic tidal contributions to the observables. The resulting renormalization group flow of the associated post-adiabatic Love numbers is established and shown to agree with a recent gravito-electric third post-Newtonian analysis in the non-relativistic limit.

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arXiv2023

Conservative scattering of spinning black holes at fourth post-Minkowskian order

Using the ${\mathcal N}=1$ supersymmetric, spinning worldline quantum field theory formalism we compute the conservative spin-orbit part of the momentum impulse $Δp_i^μ$, spin kick $ΔS_i^μ$ and scattering angle $θ$ from the scattering of two spinning massive bodies (black holes or neutron stars) up to fourth post-Minkowskian (PM) order. These three-loop results extend the state-of-the-art for generically spinning binaries from 3PM to 4PM. They are obtained by employing recursion relations for the integrand construction and advanced multi-loop Feynman integral technology in the causal (in-in) worldline quantum field theory framework to directly produce classical observables. We focus on the conservative contribution (including tail effects) and outline the computations for the dissipative contributions as well. Our spin-orbit results agree with N$^3$LO post-Newtonian and test-body data in the respective limits. We also re-confirm the conservative 4PM non-spinning results.

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arXiv2023

Dissipative scattering of spinning black holes at fourth post-Minkowskian order

We compute the radiation reacted momentum impulse $Δp_i^μ$, spin kick $ΔS_i^μ$, and scattering angle $θ$ between two scattered spinning massive bodies (black holes or neutron stars) using the $\mathcal{N}=1$ supersymmetric worldline quantum field theory formalism up to fourth post-Minkowskian (4PM) order. Our calculation confirms the state-of-the-art non-spinning results, and extends them to include spin-orbit effects. Advanced multi-loop Feynman integral technology including differential equations and the method of regions are applied and extended to deal with the retarded propagators arising in a causal description of the scattering dynamics. From these results we determine a complete set of radiative fluxes at sub-leading PM order: the 4PM radiated four-momentum and, via linear response, the 3PM radiated angular momentum, both again including spin-orbit effects.

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arXiv2023

Linear Response, Hamiltonian and Radiative Spinning Two-Body Dynamics

Using the spinning, supersymmetric Worldline Quantum Field Theory formalism we compute the momentum impulse and spin kick from a scattering of two spinning black holes or neutron stars up to quadratic order in spin at third post-Minkowskian (PM) order, including radiation-reaction effects and with arbitrarily mis-aligned spin directions. Parts of these observables, both conservative and radiative, are also inferred from lower-PM scattering data by extending Bini and Damour's linear response formula to include mis-aligned spins. By solving Hamilton's equations of motion we also use a conservative scattering angle to infer a complete 3PM two-body Hamiltonian including finite-size corrections and mis-aligned spin-spin interactions. Finally, we describe mappings to the bound two-body dynamics for aligned spin vectors: including a numerical plot of the binding energy for circular orbits compared with numerical relativity, analytic confirmation of the NNLO PN binding energy and the energy loss over successive orbits.

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arXiv2022

All Things Retarded: Radiation-Reaction in Worldline Quantum Field Theory

We exhibit an initial-value formulation of the worldline quantum field theory (WQFT) approach to the classical two-body problem in general relativity. We show that the Schwinger-Keldysh (in-in) formalism leads to purely retarded propagators in the evaluation of observables in the WQFT. Integration technology for retarded master integrals is introduced at third post-Minkowskian (3PM) order. As an application we compute the complete radiation-reacted impulse and radiated four momentum for the scattering of two non-spinning neutron stars including tidal effects at 3PM order, as well as the leading (2PM) far-field gravitational waveform.

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arXiv2022

Conservative and radiative dynamics of spinning bodies at third post-Minkowskian order using worldline quantum field theory

Using the spinning worldline quantum field theory formalism we calculate the quadratic-in-spin momentum impulse $Δp_i^μ$ and spin kick $Δa_i^μ$ from a scattering of two arbitrarily oriented spinning massive bodies (black holes or neutron stars) in a weak gravitational background up to third post-Minkowskian (PM) order ($G^3$). Two-loop Feynman integrals are performed in the potential region, yielding conservative results. For spins aligned to the orbital angular momentum we find a conservative scattering angle that is fully consistent with state-of-the-art post-Newtonian results. Using the 2PM radiated angular momentum previously obtained by Plefka, Steinhoff and the present authors we generalize the angle to include radiation-reaction effects, in which case it avoids divergences in the high-energy limit.

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arXiv2022

SUSY in the Sky with Gravitons

Picture yourself in the wave zone of a gravitational scattering event of two massive, spinning compact bodies (black holes, neutron stars or stars). We show that this system of genuine astrophysical interest enjoys a hidden $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetry, at least to the order of spin-squared (quadrupole) interactions in arbitrary $D$ spacetime dimensions. Using the ${\mathcal N}=2$ supersymmetric worldline action, augmented by finite-size corrections for the non-Kerr black hole case, we build a quadratic-in-spin extension to the worldline quantum field theory (WQFT) formalism introduced in our previous work, and calculate the two bodies' deflection and spin kick to sub-leading order in the post-Minkowskian expansion in Newton's constant $G$. For spins aligned to the normal vector of the scattering plane we also obtain the scattering angle. All $D$-dimensional observables are derived from an eikonal phase given as the free energy of the WQFT, that is invariant under the $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetry transformations.

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