Illuminating Light Bending

N. E. J. Bjerrum-Bohr (1) , Barry R. Holstein (2) , J.F. Donoghue (2) , Ludovic Plante (3) , P. Vanhove (3)

1 NBI - Niels Bohr Institute [Copenhagen]
2 UMass Amherst - University of Massachusetts [Amherst]
3 IPHT - Institut de Physique Théorique - UMR CNRS 3681

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.

Domaines: Physique des Hautes Energies - Théorie [hep-th]

N. E. J. Bjerrum-Bohr, Barry R. Holstein, J.F. Donoghue, Ludovic Plante, P. Vanhove. Illuminating Light Bending. PoS - Proceedings of Science, 2017. ⟨hal-01567259⟩