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We introduce a novel bootstrap method for classical Compton scattering amplitudes involving two massless gluon/graviton particles and two arbitrary-spin infinite-mass particles in a heavy-mass effective field theory context. Using a suitable ansatz, we deduce new and explicit classical spin results for gluon four and five-point infinite mass processes that exhibit exponentiated three-point factorizations to all orders in spin and feature no spurious poles. We discuss the generalization of our bootstrap to higher multiplicities and summarize future potential applications., Comment: To be published in JHEP

The post-Minkowskian expansion of Einstein's general theory of relativity has received much attention in recent years due to the possibility of harnessing the computational power of modern amplitude calculations in such a classical context. In this brief review, we focus on the post-Minkowskian expansion as applied to the two-body problem in general relativity without spin, and we describe how relativistic quantum field theory can be used to greatly simplify analytical calculations based on the Einstein-Hilbert action. Subtleties related to the extraction of classical physics from such quantum mechanical calculations highlight the care which must be taken when both positive and negative powers of Planck's constant are at play. In the process of obtaining classical results in both Einstein gravity and supergravity, one learns new aspects of quantum field theory that are obscured when using units in which Planck's constant is set to unity. The scattering amplitude approach provides a self-contained framework for deriving the two-body scattering valid in all regimes of energy. There is hope that the full impact of amplitude computations in this field may significantly alter the way in which gravitational wave predictions will advance in the coming years., Comment: 35 pages, see also the overview article. v2: minor corrections, published version

We consider gravitational massive scalar-scalar scattering from unitarity and demonstrate how intermediate soft graviton behavior and the concept of extracting classical physics from localization of integrands on velocity cuts devise an efficient extraction scheme for computing the classical post-Minkowskian radial action perturbatively. We demonstrate the computational efficiency by deriving the scattering amplitudes in the probe regime to the fifth post-Minkowskian order in arbitrary dimensions., Comment: 34 pages. 5 figures. v3: Reorganized section 4 for better readability, and other various minor corrections. Version to appear in JHEP

We compute the scattering amplitude for classical black-hole scattering to third order in the Post-Minkowskian expansion, keeping all terms needed to derive the scattering angle to that order from the eikonal formalism. Our results confirm a conjectured relation between the real and imaginary parts of the amplitude by Di Vecchia, Heissenberg, Russo, and Veneziano, and are in agreement with a recent computation by Damour based on radiation reaction in general relativity., Comment: 33 pages. Several figures. v3 : affiliations and acknowledgements update, version to published in JHEP

Using the implicit function theorem we demonstrate that solutions to the classical part of the relativistic Lippmann-Schwinger equation are in one-to-one correspondence with those of the energy equation of a relativistic two-body system. A corollary is that the scattering angle can be computed from the amplitude itself, without having to introduce a potential. All results are universal and provide for the case of general relativity a very simple formula for the scattering angle in terms of the classical part of the amplitude, to any order in the post-Minkowskian expansion., Comment: 24 pages, minor corrections, published version to appear in JHEP

We investigate in the context of the scattering equations, how one-loop linear propagator integrands in gauge theories can be linked to integrands with quadratic propagators using a double forward limit. We illustrate our procedure through examples and demonstrate how the different parts of the derived quadratic integrand are consistent with cut-integrands derived from four-dimensional generalized unitarity. We also comment on applications and discuss possible further generalizations., Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, typos corrected, added clarifications and comments. Version to be published in PRD

Using the CHY-formalism and its extension to a double cover we provide covariant expressions for tree-level amplitudes with two massive scalar legs and an arbitrary number of gravitons in D dimensions. Using unitarity methods, such amplitudes are needed inputs for the computation of post-Newtonian and post-Minkowskian expansions in classical general relativity., Comment: 25 pages

We describe the computation of post-Minkowskian Hamiltonians in General Relativity from scattering amplitudes. Using a relativistic Lippmann-Schwinger equation, we relate perturbative amplitudes of massive scalars coupled to gravity to the post-Minkowskian Hamiltonians of classical General Relativity to any order in Newton's constant. We illustrate this by deriving an Hamiltonian for binary black holes without spin up to 2nd order in the post-Minkowskian expansion and demonstrate explicitly the equivalence with the recently proposed method based on an effective field theory matching., Comment: 17 pages. v2: minor corrections version to appear in Physical Review D

We obtain novel factorization identities for non-linear sigma model amplitudes using a new integrand in the CHY double-cover prescription. We find that it is possible write very compact relations using only longitudinal degrees of freedom. We discuss implications for on-shell recursion., Comment: 6 pages, no figures, version to appear in PRD

A double-cover extension of the scattering equation formalism of Cachazo, He and Yuan (CHY) leads us to conjecture covariant factorization formulas of n-particle scattering amplitudes in Yang-Mills theories. Evidence is given that these factorization relations are related to Berends-Giele recursions through repeated use of partial fraction identities involving linearized propagators., Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, version to appear in PRD

We outline the program to apply modern quantum field theory methods to calculate observables in classical general relativity through a truncation to classical terms of the multi-graviton two-body on-shell scattering amplitudes between massive fields. Since only long-distance interactions corresponding to non-analytic pieces need to be included, unitarity cuts provide substantial simplifications for both post-Newtonian and post-Minkowskian expansions. We illustrate this quantum field theoretic approach to classical general relativity by computing the interaction potentials to second order in the post-Newtonian expansion, as well as the scattering functions for two massive objects to second order in the post-Minkowskian expansion. We also derive an all-order exact result for gravitational light-by-light scattering., Comment: v2: 9 pages. Version to be published, minor corrections, references updated, and a new appendix on the eikonal method (a supplemental material at PRL)

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., Comment: latex. 35 pages. 5 figures. Contribution written for the proceedings of the conference "Recent Developments in Strings and Gravity", Corfu 2016

We show that all tree-level amplitudes in $\varphi^p$ scalar field theory can be represented as the $\alpha'\to0$ limit of an $SL(2,R)$-invariant, string-theory-like dual model integral. These dual models are constructed according to constraints that admit families of solutions. We derive these dual models, and give closed formulae for all tree-level amplitudes of any $\varphi^p$ scalar field theory., Comment: 15 pages, 0 figures

We consider scattering in quantum gravity and derive long-range classical and quantum contributions to the scattering of light-like bosons and fermions (spin-0, spin-1/2, spin-1) from an external massive scalar field, such as the Sun or a black hole. This is achieved by treating general relativity as an effective field theory and identifying the non-analytic pieces of the one-loop gravitational scattering amplitude. It is emphasized throughout the paper how modern amplitude techniques, involving spinor-helicity variables, unitarity, and squaring relations in gravity enable much simplified computations. We directly verify, as predicted by general relativity, that all classical effects in our computation are universal (in the context of matter type and statistics). Using an eikonal procedure we confirm the post-Newtonian general relativity correction for light-like bending around large stellar objects. We also comment on treating effects from quantum hbar dependent terms using the same eikonal method., Comment: latex 31 pages. 5 feynmp figures. v2: Clarifications on conventions and notations. Minors changes and latex format update. v3: A sign mistake corrected and various typos corrected

We prove that the scattering equation formalism for Yang-Mills amplitudes can be used to make manifest the theory's color-kinematics duality. This is achieved through a concrete reduction algorithm which renders this duality manifest term-by-term. The reduction follows from the recently derived set of identities for amplitudes expressed in the scattering equation formalism that are analogous to monodromy relations in string theory. A byproduct of our algorithm is a generalization of the identities among gravity and Yang-Mills amplitudes., Comment: 20 pages, 20 figures

Scattering amplitudes in Yang-Mills theory can be represented in the formalism of Cachazo, He and Yuan (CHY) as integrals over an auxiliary projective space---fully localized on the support of the scattering equations. Because solving the scattering equations is difficult and summing over the solutions algebraically complex, a method of directly integrating the terms that appear in this representation has long been sought. We solve this important open problem by first rewriting the terms in a manifestly Mobius-invariant form and then using monodromy relations (inspired by analogy to string theory) to decompose terms into those for which combinatorial rules of integration are known. The result is a systematic procedure to obtain analytic, covariant forms of Yang-Mills tree-amplitudes for any number of external legs and in any number of dimensions. As examples, we provide compact analytic expressions for amplitudes involving up to six gluons of arbitrary helicities., Comment: 29 pages, 43 figures; also included is a Mathematica notebook with explicit formulae. v2: citations added, and several (important) typos fixed

We propose a new framework to represent the perturbative S-matrix which is well-defined for all quantum field theories of massless particles, constructed from tree-level amplitudes and integrable term-by-term. This representation is derived from the Feynman expansion through a series of partial fraction identities, discarding terms that vanish upon integration. Loop integrands are expressed in terms of "Q-cuts" that involve both off-shell and on-shell loop-momenta, defined with a precise contour prescription that can be evaluated by ordinary methods. This framework implies recent results found in the scattering equation formalism at one-loop, and it has a natural extension to all orders---even non-planar theories without well-defined forward limits or good ultraviolet behavior., Comment: 4+1 pages, 4 figures

We formulate new integration rules for one-loop scattering equations analogous to those at tree-level, and test them in a number of non-trivial cases for amplitudes in scalar $\phi^3$-theory. This formalism greatly facilitates the evaluation of amplitudes in the CHY representation at one-loop order, without the need to explicitly sum over the solutions to the loop-level scattering equations., Comment: 22 pages, 17 figures

We show a direct matching between individual Feynman diagrams and integration measures in the scattering equation formalism of Cachazo, He and Yuan. The connection is most easily explained in terms of triangular graphs associated with planar Feynman diagrams in $\phi^3$-theory. We also discuss the generalization to general scalar field theories with $\phi^p$ interactions, corresponding to polygonal graphs involving vertices of order $p$. Finally, we describe how the same graph-theoretic language can be used to provide the precise link between individual Feynman diagrams and string theory integrands., Comment: 18 pages, 57 figures

As described by Cachazo, He and Yuan, scattering amplitudes in many quantum field theories can be represented as integrals that are fully localized on solutions to the so-called scattering equations. Because the number of solutions to the scattering equations grows quite rapidly, the contour of integration involves contributions from many isolated components. In this paper, we provide a simple, combinatorial rule that immediately provides the result of integration against the scattering equation constraints for any M\"obius-invariant integrand involving only simple poles. These rules have a simple diagrammatic interpretation that makes the evaluation of any such integrand immediate. Finally, we explain how these rules are related to the computation of amplitudes in the field theory limit of string theory., Comment: 30 pages, 29 figures

We show how modern methods can be applied to quantum gravity at low energy. We test how quantum corrections challenge the classical framework behind the Equivalence Principle, for instance through introduction of non-locality from quantum physics, embodied in the Uncertainty Principle. When the energy is small we now have the tools to address this conflict explicitly. Despite the violation of some classical concepts, the EP continues to provide the core of the quantum gravity framework through the symmetry - general coordinate invariance - that is used to organize the effective field theory., Comment: 5 pages, Honorable Mention in the Gravity Research Foundation Essay Competition 2015

We consider the scattering of lightlike matter in the presence of a heavy scalar object (such as the Sun or a Schwarzschild black hole). By treating general relativity as an effective field theory we directly compute the nonanalytic components of the one-loop gravitational amplitude for the scattering of massless scalars or photons from an external massive scalar field. These results allow a semiclassical computation of the bending angle for light rays grazing the Sun, including long-range $\hbar$ contributions. We discuss implications of this computation, in particular the violation of some classical formulations of the equivalence principle., Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, v2: typos corrected, version to be published in PRL, v3: signs corrected

We use the feature that the gravitational Compton scattering amplitude factorizes in terms of Abelian QED amplitudes to evaluate various gravitational Compton processes. We examine both the QED and gravitational Compton scattering from a massive spin-1 system by the use of helicity amplitude methods. In the case of gravitational Compton scattering we show how the massless limit can be used to evaluate the cross section for graviton-photon scattering and discuss the difference between photon interactions and the zero mass spin-1 limit. We show that the forward scattering cross section for graviton photoproduction has a very peculiar behavior, differing from the standard Thomson and Rutherford cross sections for a Coulomb-like potential., Comment: LaTeX, 33 pages, 5 figures; v2 typos corrected, version to be published in PRD