{
  "abstract": "We study the conservative and dissipative forces on a Newtonian binary interacting with a nonrelativistic ultralight scalar medium. We derive integral expressions for the instantaneous force and the orbit-averaged energy flux generated by wake perturbations of a general background field. For a homogeneous coherent background, the conservative force suffers from a well-known infrared divergence. We trace this divergence to the failure of perturbation theory about a constant scalar state and identify the gravitational Bohr scale at which the homogeneous approximation breaks down. In the long-wavelength regime, the leading dissipation into the medium is quadrupolar, and we obtain an explicit expression for the leading energy flux from an eccentric binary. In the short-wavelength regime, we identify a local ''hard'' region in momentum space that produces a universal Coulomb logarithm, while the nonlogarithmic contribution remains orbit dependent. We then promote the background to a stochastic ensemble with a general velocity distribution. Three independent length scales, together with a derived geometric-mean scale, produce eight distinct scale hierarchies, for which we characterize the ensemble-mean response. Finally, we derive the two-point correlation function of the orbit-averaged energy flux and evaluate it in ''coherent-response'' regimes. Wave interference produces order-unity density fluctuations, so the flux in an individual realization can differ substantially from its ensemble mean.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2609.28641",
  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Soumodeep Mitra"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jordan Wilson-Gerow"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9aa87fahns9hb.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2609.28641",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "9aa87fahns9hb",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.28641",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "gr-qc"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "hep-th"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3103|Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214382517",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2609.28641",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-23",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9aa87fahns9hb.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:24:11Z",
      "native_id": "2609.28641",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.28641"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:gr-qc",
      "subfield": "gravitation"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:hep-th",
      "subfield": "high-energy"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Dynamical Friction in an Ultralight Scalar Medium across Coherent and Stochastic Regimes",
  "title_text": "Dynamical Friction in an Ultralight Scalar Medium across Coherent and Stochastic Regimes",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:24:11Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9aa87fahns9hb",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}