Derivation of Gravitational Self-Force
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
2009-07-03 v1
Abstract
We analyze the issue of ``particle motion'' in general relativity in a systematic and rigorous way by considering a one-parameter family of metrics corresponding to having a body (or black hole) that is ``scaled down'' to zero size and mass in an appropriate manner. We prove that the limiting worldline of such a one-parameter family must be a geodesic of the background metric and obtain the leading order perturbative corrections, which include gravitational self-force, spin force, and geodesic deviation effects. The status the MiSaTaQuWa equation is explained as a candidate ``self-consistent perturbative equation'' associated with our rigorous perturbative result
Cite
@article{arxiv.0907.0414,
title = {Derivation of Gravitational Self-Force},
author = {Samuel E. Gralla and Robert M. Wald},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0907.0414},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
9 pages, no figures; to appear in proceedings of CNRS School on Mass