[HET seminar] Gravitational Wave Physics for High Energy Theorists

by Ira Rothstein

Thursday 17 Mar 2022, 11:00 → 12:30 US/Eastern

https://bnl.zoomgov.com/j/1612154637?pwd=Z2E5RWhqRXBkMnExQzc3eVBTWTg3UT09

In this talk I will describe the new field of gravitational wave astronomy from the view point of a high energy theorist. QCD and GR are non-linear field theories whose perturbative expansions are both qualitatively and even quantitatively (through the BCJ relations) similar, and the inspiral of compact objects is a unique stage upon which we may highlight these similarities. After introducing the experiments and the scientific objectives of gravitational wave physics, I will show how we have made progress in making theoretical predictions for the signature of binary inspirals using an effective field theory (EFT) called NRGR (Non-Relativistic General Relativity) which is a cousin of the EFT, NRQCD, used to study quarkonia.