Scattering in black hole backgrounds and higher-spin amplitudes. Part I

The scattering of massless waves of helicity ∣h∣=0,12,1\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$ \mid h\mid =0,\frac{1}{2},1 $$\end{document} in Schwarzschild and Kerr backgrounds is revisited in the long-wavelength regime. Using a novel description of such backgrounds in terms of gravitating massive particles, we compute classical wave scattering in terms of 2 → 2 QFT amplitudes in flat space, to all orders in spin. The results are Newman-Penrose amplitudes which are in direct correspondence with solutions of the Regge-Wheeler/Teukolsky equation. By introducing a precise prescription for the point-particle limit, in Part I of this work we show how both agree for h = 0 at finite values of the scattering angle and arbitrary spin orientation.