Illuminating Light Bending

TL;DR

This paper calculates graviton interactions with matter, showing they can be expressed through electromagnetic forms, and discusses light bending phenomena from a quantum perspective, offering new insights beyond classical general relativity.

Contribution

It introduces a quantum field theory approach to graviton interactions, revealing factorization into electromagnetic forms and exploring light bending from a novel viewpoint.

Findings

Graviton scattering amplitudes factorize into electromagnetic forms

Cross sections are computed using helicity methods

Extrapolation yields photon-graviton and graviton-graviton scattering amplitudes

Abstract

The interactions of gravitons with spin-1 matter are calculated in parallel with the well known photon case. It is shown that graviton scattering amplitudes can be factorized into a product of familiar electromagnetic forms, and cross sections for various reactions are straightforwardly evaluated using helicity methods. Universality relations are identified. Extrapolation to zero mass yields scattering amplitudes for photon-graviton and graviton-graviton scattering. The phenomenon of light bending near a massive object, which is generally treated using classical general relativity, is discussed from alternative points of view.