Quantum Theory of Gravity. III. Applications of the Covariant Theory

Abstract

The basic momentum-space propagators and vertices (including those for the fictitious quanta) are given for both the Yang-Mills and gravitational fields. These propagators are used to obtain the cross sections for gravitational scattering of two scalar particles, scattering of gravitons by scalar particles, graviton-graviton scattering, two-graviton annihilation of scalar-particle pairs, and graviton bremsstrahlung. Special features of these cross sections are noted. Problems arising in renormalization theory and the role of the Planck length are discussed. The gravitational Ward identity is derived, and the structure of the radiatively corrected 1-graviton vertex for a scalar particle is displayed. The Ward identity is only one of an infinity of identities relating the many-graviton vertex functions of the theory. The need for such identities may be eliminated in principle by computing radiative corrections directly in coordinate space, using the theory of manifestly covariant Green's functions. As an example of such a calculation, the contribution of conformal metric fluctuations to the vacuum-to-vacuum amplitude is summed to all orders. The physical significance of the renormalization terms is discussed. Finally, Weinberg's treatment of the infrared problem is examined. It is not difficult to show that the fictitious quanta contribute negligibly to infrared amplitudes, and hence that Weinberg's use of the DeDonder gauge is justified. His proof that the infrared problem in gravidynamics can be handled just as in electrodynamics is thereby made rigorous.