Comments on gravitational radiation damping and energy loss in binary systems

Abstract

It is argued that a formula for the energy loss due to gravitational radiation of bound systems such as binaries has not yet been derived either exactly or by means of a consistent approximation method within general relativity, a view which contradicts some widely accepted claims in the literature. The main approaches used to obtain such a formula are critically reviewed, and it is pointed out that the derivations presented so far either contain inconsistencies or are incomplete.