First post-Newtonian correction to gravitational waves produced by compact binaries: How to compute relativistic corrections to gravitational waves using Feynman diagrams

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to calculate the relativistic correction to the gravitational waves produced by compact binaries in the inspiral phase. The correction is up to the next to leading order, the so-called first post-Newtonian order (1PN), which are correctional terms proportional to $(v/c{)}^2$ compared to leading order, Newtonian, terms. These corrections are well known in the literature, even going beyond the first order corrections, so why is it computed again here? In later years, an alternative approach for computing these terms using effective field theory has emerged. This thesis investigates this approach by replicating it, and attempts to make this approach more accessible to those not familiar with effective field theories. It has been claimed that this approach greatly simplifies the complicated calculations of gravitational waveforms, and even provides the required intuition for 'physical understanding'. By this master student that was found not to be entirely correct. The calculations were made easier for those with a rich background in quantum field theory, but for those who are not well acquainted with quantum field theory this was not the case. It was, however, found to be a worthwhile method as a means for deepening one's understanding of gravity, and might provide a shorter route for some alternative theories of gravity to testable predictions.

arXiv commentMaster's thesis, 101 pages. Supervised by Alex B. Nielsen and Jens O. Andersen

References in corpus (8)

• Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger
• Gravitational Waves from Mergin Compact Binaries: How Accurately Can One Extract the Binary's Parameters from the Inspiral Waveform?
• An Effective Field Theory of Gravity for Extended Objects
• The Effective Field Theorist's Approach to Gravitational Dynamics
• From Gravitons to Gravity: Myths and Reality
• Multipole expansion at the level of the action
• Les Houches Lectures on Effective Field Theories and Gravitational Radiation
• Gravitating binaries at 5PN in the post-Minkowskian approximation

Cited by in corpus (1)

• 1PN effective binary Lagrangian for the gravity-Kalb-Ramond sector in the conservative regime