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At least 145 records · Page 8

Building bases of loop integrands

We describe a systematic approach to the construction of loop-integrand bases at arbitrary loop-order, sufficient for the representation of general quantum field theories. We provide a graph-theoretic definition of ‘power-counting’ for multi-loop integrands beyond the planar limit, and show how this can be used to organize bases according to ultraviolet behavior. This allows amplitude integrands to be constructed iteratively. We illustrate these ideas with concrete applications. In particular, we describe complete integrand bases at two loops sufficient to represent arbitrary-multiplicity amplitudes in four (or fewer) dimensions in any massless quantum field theory with the ultraviolet behavior of the Standard Model or better. We also comment on possible extensions of our framework to arbitrary (including regulated) numbers of dimensions, and to theories with arbitrary mass spectra and charges. At three loops, we describe a basis sufficient to capture all ‘leading-(transcendental-)weight’ contributions of any four-dimensional quantum theory; for maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory, this basis should be sufficient to represent all scattering amplitude integrands in the theory — for generic helicities and arbitrary multiplicity.

1/NExpansion↗

(2, 2) Scattering and the celestial torus

Analytic continuation from Minkowski space to (2, 2) split signature spacetime has proven to be a powerful tool for the study of scattering amplitudes. Here we show that, under this continuation, null infinity becomes the product of a null interval with a celestial torus (replacing the celestial sphere) and has only one connected component. Spacelike and timelike infinity are time-periodic quotients of AdS 3 . These three components of infinity combine to an S 3 represented as a toric fibration over the interval. Privileged scattering states of scalars organize into SL(2, $\mathbb{R}$) L ×SL(2, $\mathbb{R}$) R conformal primary wave functions and their descendants with real integral or half-integral conformal weights, giving the normally continuous scattering problem a discrete character.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Nonperturbative bounds on scattering of massive scalar particles in d ≥ 2

We study two-to-two scattering amplitudes of a scalar particle of mass m. For simplicity, we assume the presence of Z 2 symmetry and that the particle is Z 2 odd. We consider two classes of amplitudes: the fully nonperturbative ones and effective field theory (EFT) ones with a cut-off scale M. Using the primal numerical method which allows us to impose full non-linear unitarity, we construct novel bounds on various observables in 2 ≤ d ≤ 4 space-time dimensions for both classes of amplitudes. We show that our bounds are much stronger than the ones obtained by using linearized unitarity or positivity only. We discuss applications of our bounds to constraining EFTs. Finally, we compare our bounds to the amplitude in Φ 4 theory computed perturbatively at weak coupling, and find that they saturate the bounds.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Implementing the finite-volume three-pion scattering formalism across all non-maximal isospins

We present a numerical exploration of the relativistic-field-theory (RFT) formalism for three pions with all possible values of non-maximal isospin, I πππ = 2, 1 and 0. Using the generic-isospin extension of the RFT formalism [1] and applying our open-source Python library to implement the framework, we predict a range of three-pion energies for illustrative values of the two-to-two scattering amplitudes for various finite-volume irreps also with non-zero total momentum P in the finite-volume frame. The results restrict attention to the case of a vanishing intrinsic three-body interaction so that the spectra can be understood as a baseline. In future lattice QCD calculations, deviations from these values will be translated into evidence for intrinsic three-body effects in the various scattering channels.

hadronic spectroscopy↗

S -matrix positivity without Lorentz invariance: a case study

We investigate the analytic structure of scattering amplitudes in theories in which Lorentz invariance is spontaneously broken. We do so by computing and studying the S-matrix for a simple example: a superfluid described by a complex scalar with quartic interactions. The computation is confined to tree-level, for there are no absolutely stable single-particle states, though the lifetime can be made long by lowering the chemical potential. For the 2 → 2 amplitude in center-of-mass configurations, not only is crossing symmetry violated, there appears a tree level branch cut for unphysical kinematics. Its appearance is a consequence of non-analyticity in the dispersion relation. The branch point defines a new scale in the problem, which scales inversely with the chemical potential. In this example, even derivatives of the forward amplitude are positive while odd derivatives are negative. This pattern can be understood in a general way in the limit of a small chemical potential, or weak Lorentz breaking.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Black holes in Klein space

The analytic continuation of the general signature (1, 3) Lorentzian Kerr-Taub-NUT black holes to signature (2, 2) Kleinian black holes is studied. Their global structure is characterized by a toric Penrose diagram resembling their Lorentzian counterparts. Kleinian black holes are found to be self-dual when their mass and NUT charge are equal for any value of the Kerr rotation parameter a. Remarkably, it is shown that the rotation a can be eliminated by a large diffeomorphism; this result also holds in Euclidean signature. The continuation from Lorentzian to Kleinian signature is naturally induced by the analytic continuation of the S-matrix. Indeed, we show that the geometry of linearized black holes, including Kerr-Taub-NUT, is captured by (2, 2) three-point scattering amplitudes of a graviton and a massive spinning particle. This stands in sharp contrast to their Lorentzian counterparts for which the latter vanishes kinematically and enables a direct link to the S-matrix.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Scalar QED as a toy model for higher-order effects in classical gravitational scattering

Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) serves as a useful toy model for classical observables in gravitational two-body systems with reduced complexity due to the linearity of QED. We investigate scattering observables in scalar QED at the sixth order in the charges (two-loop order) in a classical regime analogous to the post-Minkowskian expansion in General Relativity. We employ modern scattering amplitude tools and extract classical observables by both eikonal methods and the formalism of Kosower, Maybee, and O’Connell (KMOC). In addition, we provide a simplified approach to extracting the radial action beyond the conservative sector.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Composing effective prediction at five points

Color-kinematics duality in the adjoint has proven key to the relationship between gauge and gravity theory scattering amplitude predictions. In recent work, we demonstrated that at four-point tree-level, a small number of color-dual EFT building blocks could encode all higher-derivative single-trace massless corrections to gauge and gravity theories compatible with adjoint double-copy. One critical aspect was the trivialization of building higher-derivative color-weights — indeed, it is the mixing of kinematics with non-adjoint-type color-weights (like the permutation-invariant d 4 ) which permits description via adjoint double-copy. Here we find that such ideas clarify the predictions of local five-point higher-dimensional operators as well. We demonstrate how a single scalar building block can be combined with color structures to build higher-derivative color factors that generate, through double copy, the amplitudes associated with higher-derivative gauge-theory operators. These may then be suitably mapped, through another double-copy, to higher-derivative corrections in gravity.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

All loop scattering for all multiplicity

We study the recently introduced curve integral formalism that defines a new family of formulas for the scattering amplitudes of the colored scalar trϕ 3 theory. We find that the curve integral manifests a very surprising fact about these amplitudes: the dependence on the number of particles, n, and the loop order, L, is effectively decoupled in these formulas. We derive the curve integrals at tree-level for all n. We then show that, for higher loop-order, it suffices to study the curve integrals for L-loop tadpole-like amplitudes, which have just one particle per color trace-factor. By combining these tadpole-like formulas with the tree-level results, we find formulas for the all n amplitudes at L loops. We illustrate this result by giving explicit curve integrals for all the amplitudes in the theory, including the non-planar amplitudes, through to two loops, for all n.

1/N Expansion↗

Open associahedra and scattering forms

We continue the study of open associahedra associated with bi-color scattering amplitudes initiated in ref. [1]. We focus on the facet geometries of the open associahedra, uncovering many new phenomena such as fiber-product geometries. We then provide novel recursion procedures for calculating the canonical form of open associahedra, generalizing recursion relations for bounded polytopes to unbounded polytopes.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

State-operator correspondence in celestial conformal field theory

The bulk-to-boundary dictionary for 4D celestial holography is given a new entry defining 2D boundary states living on oriented circles on the celestial sphere. The states are constructed using the 2D CFT state-operator correspondence from operator insertions corresponding to either incoming or outgoing particles which cross the celestial sphere inside the circle. The BPZ construction is applied to give an inner product on such states whose associated bulk adjoints are shown to involve a shadow transform. Scattering amplitudes are then given by BPZ inner products between states living on the same circle but with opposite orientations. 2D boundary states are found to encode the same information as their 4D bulk counterparts, but organized in a radically different manner.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Anomalous dimensions from soft Regge constants

Using an effective field theory (EFT) formalism for forward scattering, we reconsider the factorization of 2 → 2 scattering amplitudes in the Regge limit. Expanding the amplitude in gauge invariant operators labelled by the number of Glauber exchanges, allows us to further factorize the standard impact factors into separate collinear and soft functions. The soft functions are universal, and describe radiative corrections to the Reggeized gluon states exchanged by the collinear projectiles. Remarkably, we find that the one-loop soft function for the single Reggeized gluon state is given to O(ϵ) in terms of the two-loop cusp and two-loop rapidity anomalous dimensions. We argue that this iterative structure follows from the simple action of crossing symmetry in the forward scattering limit, which in the EFT allows us to replace the divergent part of a soft loop by a much simpler Glauber loop. We use this correspondence to provide a simple calculation of the two-loop Regge trajectory using the EFT. We then explore its implications at higher perturbative orders, and derive the maximally matter dependent contributions to the Regge trajectory to all loop orders, i.e. the terms ~ α$^{k+1}_{s}$n$^{k}_{f}$ for any k, where n f is the number of massless flavors. These simplifications suggests that the EFT approach to the Regge limit will be helpful to explore and further understand the structure of the Regge limit.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

From Feynman diagrams to the amplituhedron: a gentle review

In this article we review, for a mathematical audience, the computation of (tree-level) scattering amplitudes in Yang-Mills theory in detail. In particular we demonstrate explicitly how the same formulas for six-particle NMHV helicity amplitudes are obtained from summing Feynman diagrams and from computing the canonical form of the n=6, k=1, m=4 amplituhedron.

Feynman diagrams↗

What can be measured asymptotically?

We consider asymptotic observables in quantum field theories in which the S-matrix makes sense. We argue that in addition to scattering amplitudes, a whole compendium of inclusive observables exists where the time-ordering is relaxed. These include expectation values of electromagnetic or gravitational radiation fields as well as out-of-time-order amplitudes. We explain how to calculate them in two ways: by relating them to amplitudes and products of amplitudes, and by using a generalization of the LSZ reduction formula. As an application, we discuss one-loop master integrals contributing to gravitational radiation in the post-Minkowski expansion, emphasizing the role of classical cut contributions and highlighting the different infrared physics of in-in observables.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Conservative Binary Dynamics at Order 𝛼 5 in Electrodynamics

We compute the potential-photon contributions to the classical relativistic scattering angle of two charged nonspinning bodies in electrodynamics through fifth order in the coupling. We use the scattering amplitudes framework, effective field theory, and multiloop integration techniques based on integration by parts and differential equations. At fifth order, the result is expressed in terms of cyclotomic polylogarithms. Our calculation demonstrates the feasibility of the corresponding calculations in general relativity, including the evaluation of the encountered four-loop integrals.

classical electromagnetism↗

Soft and collinear limits in $\mathcal{N}$ = 8 supergravity using double copy formalism

It is known that $\mathcal{N}$ = 8 supergravity is dual to $\mathcal{N}$ = 4 super Yang-Mills (SYM) via the double copy relation. Using the explicit relation between scattering amplitudes in the two theories, we calculate the soft and collinear limits in $\mathcal{N}$ = 8 supergravity from know results in $\mathcal{N}$ = 4 SYM. In our application of double copy, a particular self-duality condition is chosen for scalars that allows us to constrain and determine the R-symmetry indices of the supergravity states in the collinear limit.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Gravitational memory and Ward identities in the local detector frame

Gravitational memory, which describes the permanent shift in the strain after the passage of gravitational waves, is directly related to Weinberg’s soft graviton theorems and the Bondi-Metzner-Sachs (BMS) symmetry group of asymptotically flat space-times. In this work, we provide an equivalent description of the phenomenon in local coordinates around gravitational wave detectors, such as transverse-traceless (TT) gauge. We show that gravitational memory is encoded in large residual diffeomorphisms in this gauge, which include time-dependent anisotropic spatial rescalings, and prove their equivalence to BMS transformations when translated to TT gauge. We then derive the associated Ward identities and associated soft theorems, for both scattering amplitudes and equal-time (in-in) correlation functions, and explicitly check their validity for planar gravitational waves. Furthermore, the in-in identities are recognized as the flat-space analog of the well-known inflationary consistency relations.

General relativity↗

Gravitational memory and soft theorems: The local perspective

In general relativity, gravitational memory describes the lasting change in the separation and relative velocity of freely falling detectors after the passage of gravitational waves (GWs). In this paper, we elucidate the relation between Bondi-Metzner-Sachs transformations at future null infinity and the description of gravitational memory in local synchronous coordinates, commonly used in GW detectors like LISA. We show that gravitational memory corresponds to large residual diffeomorphisms in this gauge, such as volume-preserving spatial rescalings. We reproduce the associated soft theorems for scattering amplitudes. Finally, we derive novel soft theorems for equal-time (in-in) correlation functions, which are recognized as the flat space analogues of inflationary consistency relations with a soft tensor mode. Furthermore, these relations provide a pathway toward uncovering deeper connections between gravitational memory and cosmological correlators.

General relativity↗