Finite-time memory detectors and fully constraining Faddeev-Kulish dressings in QED and gravity

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that finite-time Faddeev-Kulish dressings in QED and gravity are uniquely determined by symmetry, enabling the recovery of classical memory effects and higher-order gravitational memory contributions.

Contribution

It establishes the symmetry-constrained uniqueness of finite-time dressings and connects them to classical memory effects and higher-order gravitational memory.

Findings

Finite-time dressings reproduce classical memory effects.

Higher order gravitational memory contributions are recovered.

Finite-time Fock spaces and memory detectors are constructed.

Abstract

We show that for both QED and perturbative quantum gravity, finite-time Faddeev-Kulish dressings can be fully constrained by symmetry, and that this gives the unique choice which reproduces the classical memory effect. For gravity, we show that using this dressing to construct finite-time Fock spaces, as well as a carefully defined finite-time memory detector allows us to recover both the first order gravitational memory, as well as higher order Christodoulou contributions from the gravitational field. We explain how these higher order perturbative corrections arise in inclusive in-in calculations.