Classical black hole scattering from a worldline quantum field theory

TL;DR

This paper establishes a formal connection between scalar-graviton scattering amplitudes and expectation values in a worldline quantum field theory, enabling new calculations of gravitational radiation and black hole deflections.

Contribution

It introduces a novel worldline quantum field theory framework with new Feynman rules for classical black hole scattering, linking S-matrix elements to expectation values.

Findings

Derived a worldline path integral representation of the graviton-dressed scalar propagator.

Calculated the next-order classical gravitational radiation in a black hole scattering event.

Obtained black hole deflection angles from the WQFT, matching the eikonal phase results.

Abstract

A precise link is derived between scalar-graviton S-matrix elements and expectation values of operators in a worldline quantum field theory (WQFT), both used to describe classical scattering of a pair of black holes. The link is formally provided by a worldline path integral representation of the graviton-dressed scalar propagator, which may be inserted into a traditional definition of the S-matrix in terms of time-ordered correlators. To calculate expectation values in the WQFT a new set of Feynman rules is introduced which treats the gravitational field $h_{\mu\nu}(x)$ and position $x_i^\mu(\tau_i)$ of each black hole on equal footing. Using these both the next-order classical gravitational radiation $\langle h^{\mu\nu}(k)\rangle$ (previously unknown) and deflection $\Delta p_i^\mu$ from a binary black hole scattering event are obtained. The latter can also be obtained from the eikonal phase of a $2\to2$ scalar S-matrix, which we show to correspond to the free energy of the WQFT.