No Arabic abstract
In this paper we construct an effective field theory (EFT) that describes long wavelength gravitational radiation from compact systems. To leading order, this EFT consists of the multipole expansion, which we describe in terms of a diffeomorphism invariant point particle Lagrangian. The EFT also systematically captures post-Minkowskian corrections to the multipole expansion due to non-linear terms in general relativity. Specifically, we compute long distance corrections from the coupling of the (mass) monopole moment to the quadrupole moment, including up to two mass insertions. Along the way, we encounter both logarithmic short distance (UV) and long wavelength (IR) divergences. We show that the UV divergences can be (1) absorbed into a renormalization of the multipole moments and (2) resummed via the renormalization group. The IR singularities are shown to cancel from properly defined physical observables. As a concrete example of the formalism, we use this EFT to reproduce a number of post-Newtonian corrections to the gravitational wave energy flux from non-relativistic binaries, including long distance effects up to 3PN ($v^6$) order. Our results verify that the factorization of scales proposed in the NRGR framework of Goldberger and Rothstein is consistent up to order 3PN.
Effective field theories describing gravity coupled to matter are investigated, allowing for operators of arbitrary mass dimension. Terms violating local Lorentz and diffeomorphism invariance while preserving internal gauge symmetries are included. The theoretical framework for violations of local Lorentz and diffeomorphism invariance and associated conceptual issues are discussed, including transformations in curved and approximately flat spacetimes, the treatment of various types of backgrounds, the implications of symmetry breaking, and the no-go constraints for explicit violation in Riemann geometry. Techniques are presented for the construction of effective operators, and the possible terms in the gravity, gauge, fermion, and scalar sectors are classified and enumerated. Explicit expressions are obtained for terms containing operators of mass dimension six or less in the effective action for General Relativity coupled to the Standard Model of particle physics. Special cases considered include Einstein-Maxwell effective field theories and the limit with only scalar coupling constants.
We use the effective field theory for gravitational bound states, proposed by Goldberger and Rothstein, to compute the interaction Lagrangian of a binary system at the second Post-Newtonian order. Throughout the calculation, we use a metric parametrization based on a temporal Kaluza-Klein decomposition and test the claim by Kol and Smolkin that this parametrization provides important calculational advantages. We demonstrate how to use the effective field theory method efficiently in precision calculations, and we reproduce known results for the second Post-Newtonian order equations of motion in harmonic gauge in a straightforward manner.
Working within the post-Newtonian (PN) approximation to General Relativity, we use the effective field theory (EFT) framework to study the conservative dynamics of the two-body motion at fourth PN order, at fifth order in the Newton constant. This is one of the missing pieces preventing the computation of the full Lagrangian at fourth PN order using EFT methods. We exploit the analogy between diagrams in the EFT gravitational theory and 2-point functions in massless gauge theory, to address the calculation of 4-loop amplitudes by means of standard multi-loop diagrammatic techniques. For those terms which can be directly compared, our result confirms the findings of previous studies, performed using different methods.
We study the gravitational radiation emitted during the scattering of two spinless bodies in the post-Minkowskian Effective Field Theory approach. We derive the conserved stress-energy tensor linearly coupled to gravity and the classical probability amplitude of graviton emission at leading and next-to-leading order in the Newtons constant $G$. The amplitude can be expressed in compact form as one-dimensional integrals over a Feynman parameter involving Bessel functions. We use it to recover the leading-order radiated angular momentum expression. Upon expanding it in the relative velocity between the two bodies $v$, we compute the total four-momentum radiated into gravitational waves at leading-order in $G$ and up to an order $v^8$, finding agreement with what was recently computed using scattering amplitude methods. Our results also allow us to investigate the zero frequency limit of the emitted energy spectrum.
Studying the effects of dark energy and modified gravity on cosmological scales has led to a great number of physical models being developed. The effective field theory (EFT) of cosmic acceleration allows an efficient exploration of this large model space, usually carried out on a phenomenological basis. However, constraints on such parametrized EFT coefficients cannot be trivially connected to fundamental covariant theories. In this paper we reconstruct the class of covariant Horndeski scalar-tensor theories that reproduce the same background dynamics and linear perturbations as a given EFT action. One can use this reconstruction to interpret constraints on parametrized EFT coefficients in terms of viable covariant Horndeski theories. We demonstrate this method with a number of well-known models and discuss a range of future applications.