Theoretical Physics(DTP)
Physique théorique (DPT)
Eric POISSON
University of Guelph
The Gravitational Self-Force
The gravitational self-force describes the effect of a particle's own field on its motion; while the motion is geodesic in the test-mass limit, it is accelerated to first-order in the particle's mass. I will review the foundations of the self-force, and show how an infinite field can be unambiguously decomposed into a singular piece that exerts no force, and a smooth remainder that is responsible for the acceleration.
The context of this work is provided by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, which will be sensitive to low-frequency gravitational waves. Among the sources for this detector is the motion of small compact objects around massive (galactic) black holes. To calculate the waves emitted by such systems requires a detailed understanding of the motion, beyond the test-mass approximation.