October 30, 2024
Quantum higher-spin theory applied to Compton amplitudes has proven to be surprisingly useful for elucidating Kerr black hole dynamics. Here we apply the framework to compute scattering amplitudes and observables for a binary system of two rotating black holes, at second post-Minkowskian order, and to all orders in the spin-multipole expansion for certain quantities. Starting from the established three-point and conjectured Compton quantum amplitudes, the infinite-spin limit gives classical amplitudes that serves as building block that we feed into the unitarity method to construct the 2-to-2 one-loop amplitude. We give scalar box, vector box, and scalar triangle coefficients to all orders in spin, where the latter are expressed in terms of Bessel-like functions. Using the Kosower-Maybee-O'Connell formalism, the classical 2PM impulse is computed, and in parallel we work out the scattering angle and eikonal phase. We give novel all-orders-in-spin formulae for certain contributions, and the remaining ones are given up to ${\cal O}(S^{11})$. Since Kerr 2PM dynamics beyond ${\cal O}(S^{\ge 5})$ is as of yet not completely settled, this work serves as a useful reference for future studies.
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November 26, 2021
From the S-matrix of spinning particles, we extract the 2 PM conservative potential for binary spinning black holes up to quartic order in spin operators. An important ingredient is the exponentiated gravitational Compton amplitude in the classical spin-limit for all graviton helicity sectors. The validity of the resulting Hamiltonian is verified by matching to known lower spin order results, as well as direct computation of the 2PM impulse and spin kicks from the eikonal pha...
June 13, 2024
We consider the covariant proposal for the gravitational Compton amplitude for a Kerr black hole. Employing the covariant three- and four-point Compton amplitudes, we assemble the classical one-loop integrand on the maximal cut at all orders in spin, utilizing the method of unitarity. Expanding in powers of spin, we evaluate the one-loop amplitude up to $\mathcal O(G^2 a^8)$. Supplemented with extra contact contributions derived from the far-zone data of the Teukolsky solutio...
March 11, 2022
The classical scattering of spinning objects is well described by the spinor-helicity formalism for heavy particles. Using these variables, we derive spurious-pole-free, all-spin opposite-helicity Compton amplitudes (factorizing on physical poles to the minimal, all-spin three-point amplitudes of ref. \cite{Arkani-Hamed:2017jhn}) in the classical limit for QED, QCD, and gravity. The cured amplitudes are subject to deformations by contact terms, the vast majority of whose cont...
July 30, 2021
Quantum scattering amplitudes for massive matter have received new attention in connection to classical calculations relevant to gravitational-wave physics. Amplitude methods and insights are now employed for precision computations of observables needed for describing the gravitational dynamics of bound massive objects such as black holes. An important direction is the inclusion of spin effects needed to accurately describe rotating (Kerr) black holes. Higher-spin amplitudes ...
April 9, 2023
Using the recently derived higher spin gravitational Compton amplitude from low-energy analytically continued ($a/Gm\gg1$) solutions of the Teukolsky equation for the scattering of a gravitational wave off the Kerr black hole, observables for non-radiating super-extremal Kerr binary systems at second post-Minkowskian (PM) order and up to sixth order in spin are computed. The relevant 2PM amplitude is obtained from the triangle-leading singularity in conjunction with a general...
April 4, 2019
In this paper we study the two-body gravitational scattering of massive scalars with different masses in general spacetime dimensions. We focus on the Regge limit (eikonal regime) of the resulting scattering amplitudes and discuss how to extract the classical information representing the scattering of two black holes. We derive the leading eikonal and explicitly show the resummation of the first leading energy contribution up to second order in Newton's gravitational constant...
December 15, 2022
We continue to investigate correspondences between, on the one hand, scattering amplitudes for massive higher-spin particles and gravitons in appropriate quantum-to-classical limits, and on the other hand, classical gravitational interactions of spinning black holes according to general relativity. We first construct an ansatz for a gravitational Compton amplitude, at tree level, constrained only by locality, crossing symmetry, unitarity and consistency with the linearized-Ke...
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In this thesis, I will study the classical scattering problem of two Kerr black holes in general relativity with novel quantum field theory techniques in the Post-Minkowskian (PM) expansion, generalizing the subleading soft theorem to the case of spinning particles. The leading order term in the soft expansion is uniquely determined by the universal Weinberg pole, but the subleading one depends on the angular momentum of the external particles and receives a new spin correcti...
September 16, 2019
It has been suggested that amplitudes for quantum higher-spin massive particles exchanging gravitons lead, via a classical limit, to results for scattering of spinning black holes in general relativity, when the massive particles are in a certain way minimally coupled to gravity. Such limits of such amplitudes suggest, at least at lower orders in spin, up to second order in the gravitational constant $G$, that the classical aligned-spin scattering function for an arbitrary-ma...
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