Master's thesis defence: Jens Emil Lautrop Buemann

Title: Analyzing gravitational scattering using methods of quantum field theory

Abstract: Recent work has demonstrated that gravitational scattering in the extreme-mass-ratio regime can be organized within the framework of quantum field theory. Specifically, an expansion in the mass ratio can be formulated in terms of Feynman diagrams, providing a systematic method for computing the radial action of a classical gravitational scattering event. In this presentation, I will present the basic elements of this approach and outline some of the technical aspects of the diagrammatic expansion of the radial action. A crucial ingredient is the post-Minkowskian expansion, which makes evaluation of the diagrams possible. Finally, I will outline future prospects, in particular the background coordinate freedom afforded by this approach and the computational advantages it may offer.