General Relativity from Intersection Theory

Abstract

This paper combines the post-Minkowskian expansion of general relativity with the language of intersection theory. Because of the nature of the soft limit inherent to the post-Minkowskian expansion, the intersection-based approach is of enhanced utility in that theory compared to a generic quantum field theory. In the language of intersection theory, Feynman integrals are rephrased in terms of twisted cocycles. The intersection number is a pairing between two such cocycles and its existence allows for the direct projection onto a basis of master integrals. In this paper we use this approach to compute the second post-Minkowskian contribution to the scattering of two compact astronomical objects, getting results in agreement with previous findings.