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We introduce a novel bootstrap method for heavy-mass effective field theory classical Compton scattering amplitudes involving two massless particles and two arbitrary-spin infinite-mass limit particles. Using a suitable ansatz, we deduce new and explicit classical spin results for gluon four and five-point infinite mass processes that exhibit a certain exponentiated three-point tree-level factorizations and feature no spurious poles. We discuss the generalization of our bootstrap to higher multiplicities and summarize future potential applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 (EP), for instance through introduction of nonlocality 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 (EFT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 h contributions. We discuss implications of this computation, in particular, the violation of some classical formulations of the equivalence principle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravity amplitudes are, via the Kawai–Lewellen–Tye relations intimately linked to products of Yang–Mills amplitudes. Explicitly, this shows up in computations of $\mathcal{N}=8$ supergravity where the perturbative expansion and ultraviolet behavior of this theory is akin to $\mathcal{N}=4$ super-Yang–Mills at least through three loops. Full persistence to all loop orders would be truly remarkable and imply finiteness of $\mathcal{N}=8$ supergravity in four dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weoutline the program to apply modern quantum field theory methods to calculate observables in classical general relativity through a truncation to classical terms of the multigraviton, two-body, on-shell scattering amplitudes between massive fields. Since only long-distance interactions corresponding to nonanalytic 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 nonplanar theories without well-defined forward limits or good ultraviolet behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]