Point Amplitudes Research Articles

Soft theorems in matrix theory

We show that the Banks-Fischler-Shenker-Susskind matrix model for M-theory obeys the leading and subleading soft theorems expected from eleven-dimensional supergravity. The subleading soft theorem implies the amplitude is Lorentz symmetric. This is argued for general four point amplitudes, but only for restricted kinematics for five and higher point amplitudes.

A complete set of 4-point amplitudes in the constructive Standard Model

We present a complete set of 4-point amplitudes in the constructive Standard Model at tree level. Any 4-point amplitude can be obtained from the results presented here by a suitable choice of masses, a permutation of the particles (by crossing symmetry), and a reversal of the momenta of the outgoing particles. We have validated all of these amplitudes by comparing with Feynman diagrams for a variety of masses, scattering energy and angles, and helicities of the photons and gluons, when they are in the initial states. The standard constructive techniques work for these amplitudes without the need for any contact terms and indeed, contact terms are not allowed. Only three 4-point vertices are used (allowed), involving the Higgs boson and the W and Z bosons. When external photons or gluons are present, the amplitude simplifies to a single spinor-product structure, present in the numerator. In a few cases, however, the propagator structure is more complex, with different terms depending on the charge or color structure. In the case of internal photons or gluons, we find that the massless limit of a massive photon or gluon diagram gives the correct result in all cases. We have additionally found that using the x factor directly gives the correct result in all cases and agrees with the massless limit calculation.

ALPs, the on-shell way

We study how the coupling between axion-like particles (ALPs) and matter can be obtained at the level of on-shell scattering amplitudes. We identify three conditions that allow us to compute amplitudes that correspond to shift-symmetric Lagrangians, at the level of operators with dimension 5 or higher, and we discuss how they relate and extend the Adler’s zero condition. These conditions are necessary to reduce the number of coefficients consistent with the little-group scaling to the one expected from the Lagrangian approach. We also show how our formalism easily explains that the dimension-5 interaction involving one ALP and two massless spin-1 bosons receive corrections from higher order operators only when the ALP has a non-vanishing mass. As a direct application of our results, we perform a phenomenological study of the inelastic scattering ℓ+ℓ− → ϕh (with ℓ± two charged leptons, ϕ the ALP and h the Higgs boson) for which, as a result of the structure of the 3-point and 4-point amplitudes, dimension-7 operators can dominate over the dimension-5 ones well before the energy reaches the cutoff of the theory.

Amplitude chimeras and bump states with and without frequency entanglement: a toy model

When chaotic oscillators are coupled in complex networks a number of interesting synchronization phenomena emerge. Notable examples are the frequency and amplitude chimeras, chimera death states, solitary states as well as combinations of these. In a previous study (Provata 2020 J. Phys. Complex. 1 025006), a toy model was introduced addressing possible mechanisms behind the formation of frequency chimera states. In the present study a variation of the toy model is proposed to address the formation of amplitude chimeras. The proposed oscillatory model is now equipped with an additional 3rd order equation modulating the amplitude of the network oscillators. This way, the single oscillators are constructed as bistable in amplitude and depending on the initial conditions their amplitude may result in one of the two stable fixed points. Numerical simulations demonstrate that when these oscillators are nonlocally coupled in networks, they organize in domains with alternating amplitudes (related to the two fixed points), naturally forming amplitude chimeras. A second extension of this model incorporates nonlinear terms merging amplitude together with frequency, and this extension allows for the spontaneous production of composite amplitude-and-frequency chimeras occurring simultaneously in the network. Moreover the extended model allows to understand the emergence of bump states via the continuous passage from chimera states, when both fixed point amplitudes are positive, to bump states when one of the two fixed points vanishes. The synchronization properties of the network are studied as a function of the system parameters for the case of amplitude chimeras, bump states and composite amplitude-and-frequency chimeras. The proposed mechanisms of creating domains with variable amplitudes and/or frequencies provide a generic scenario for understanding the formation of the complex synchronization phenomena observed in networks of coupled nonlinear and chaotic oscillators.

Bootstrapping AdS2× S2 hypermultiplets: hidden four-dimensional conformal symmetry

We bootstrap the 4-point amplitude of N\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{N} $$\\end{document} = 2 hypermultiplets in AdS2 × S2 at tree-level and for arbitrary external weights. We hereby explicitly demonstrate the existence of a hidden four-dimensional conformal symmetry that was used as an assumption in previous studies to derive this result.

Three point amplitudes in matrix theory

We compute the three graviton amplitude in the Banks-Fischler-Shenker-Susskind matrix model for M-theory. Even though the three point amplitude is determined by super Poincare invariance in eleven dimensional M-theory, it requires a non-trivial computation in the matrix model. We consider a configuration where all three gravitons carry non-zero longitudinal momentum. To simplify the problem, we compactify one additional dimension and relate the amplitude to a supersymmetric index computation. We find agreement with the expected answer even at finite values of N.

Loop amplitudes in the Coulomb branch of N\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{N} $$\\end{document} = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory

We study four point planar loop amplitudes at an arbitrary point in the Coulomb branch of N\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{N} $$\\end{document} = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory. We study two particle unitary cuts up to four loop order. We explicitly verify that bubble and triangle graphs do not contribute at one loop level and show that the results hold at higher loop level as well. We also write down an all loop recursion relation for two particle reducible graphs for four point amplitudes.

The S-matrix of 2D type 0B string theory. Part I. Perturbation theory revisited

We study the perturbative S-matrix of closed strings in the two-dimensional type 0B string theory from the worldsheet perspective, by directly integrating correlation functions of mathcal{N} = 1 Liouville theory. The latter is computed numerically using recurrence relations for super-Virasoro conformal blocks. We show that the tree level 3- and 4-point amplitudes are in agreement with the proposed dual matrix quantum mechanics. The non-perturbative aspects of the duality will be analyzed in a companion paper.

Adelic amplitudes and intricacies of infinite products

For every prime number p it is possible to define a p-adic version of the Veneziano amplitude and its higher-point generalizations. Multiplying together the real amplitude with all its p-adic counterparts yields the adelic amplitude. At four points it has been argued that the adelic amplitude, after regulating the product that defines it, equals one. For the adelic 5-point amplitude, there exist kinematic regimes where no regularization is needed. This paper demonstrates that in special cases within this regime, the adelic product can be explicitly evaluated in terms of ratios of the Riemann zeta function, and observes that the 5-point adelic amplitude is not given by a single analytic function. Motivated by this fact to study new regularization procedures for the 4-point amplitude, an alternative formalism is presented, resulting in non-constant amplitudes that are piecewise analytic in the three scattering channels, including one non-constant adelic amplitude previously suggested in the literature. Decomposing the residues of these amplitudes into weighted sums of Gegenbauer polynomials, numerical evidence indicates that in special ranges of spacetime dimensions all the coefficients are positive, as required by unitarity.

Celestial locality and the Jacobi identity

We show the equivalence of several different tests of the Jacobi identity for celestial currents at tree level, in particular finding a simple, practical condition on hard momentum space 4-point amplitudes in any EFT. Along the way we clarify the role of the order of soft and collinear limits in obstructing the Jacobi identity for soft insertions and we argue that, despite their current-algebra-like properties, soft insertions as formulated in this paper cannot be interpreted as local operators in celestial conformal field theory.

Notes on resonances and unitarity from celestial amplitudes

We study the celestial description of the O(N) sigma model in the large N limit as introduced by Coleman, Jackiw and Politzer. Focusing on three dimensions, we analyze the implications of a UV complete, all-loop order 4-point amplitude of pions in terms of correlation functions defined on the celestial circle. We find these retain many key features from the previously studied tree-level case, such as their relation to Generalized Free Field theories and crossing-symmetry, but also incorporate new properties such as IR/UV softness and S-matrix metastable states. In particular, to understand unitarity, we propose a form of the optical theorem that controls the imaginary part of the correlator based solely on the presence of these resonances. We also explicitly analyze the conformal block expansions and factorization of four-point functions into three-point functions. We find that summing over resonances is key for these factorization properties to hold. We end with some topics for future study.

Symplectic Grassmannians, dual conformal symmetry and 4-point amplitudes in 6D

We investigate a new algebra-based approach of finding Grassmannian formulas for scattering amplitudes. Our prime motivation is massive amplitudes of 4D mathcal{N} = 4 SYM, and therefore we consider a 6D Grassmannian formula, where we can take advantage of massless kinematics. We next use symmetry arguments, and in particular, 6D dual conformal symmetry generalized to arbitrary dual conformal weights. Assuming a rational ansatz in terms of Plücker coordinates (i.e. minors) for the integrand, this approach leads to a set of algebraic equations. As an example, we explicitly find the solution for 4-point scattering amplitudes up to proportionality constants.

On-shell approach to neutrino oscillations

In the usual quantum field theoretical approach, neutrino oscillations are studied diagonalising either the mass or matter Hamiltonians. In this paper we analyse the problem from an on-shell amplitude perspective, where Lagrangians or Hamiltonians are not available. We start by studying in detail how flavor enters in the amplitudes and how the PMNS matrix emerges. We then analyse the elastic amplitude of two neutrinos and two charged leptons that induce matter effects and propose a strategy to obtain the known results of the standard oscillation theory without Hamiltonians. Finally, we extend the previously proposed procedure and use the most general elastic 4-point amplitude to study beyond the Standard Model effects on oscillations.

Double copy for massive scalar field theories

We explore extensions of the double copy to massive theories and find a new cubic theory with a local double copy. We consider the nonlinear sigma model and the special galileon theory, massless versions of which are known to be related through the double copy. We show that by performing a Kaluza-Klein reduction of these theories from five dimensions down to four, a double copy relation exists between the resulting massive four-dimensional scalar field theories. This requires the vanishing contribution of new galileon terms arising in high dimensions. We further explore if other interactions that do not arise from a dimensional reduction of the nonlinear sigma model could be double copied and find a new cubic interaction which satisfies the BCJ relations up to 5-point amplitudes.

Scattering Amplitudes and BCFW in $\mathcal{N}=2^*$ Theory

We use massive spinor helicity formalism to study scattering amplitudes in \mathcal{N}=2^*𝒩=2* super-Yang-Mills theory in four dimensions. We compute the amplitudes at an arbitrary point in the Coulomb branch of this theory. We compute amplitudes using projection from \mathcal{N}=4𝒩=4 theory and write three point amplitudes in a convenient form using special kinematics. We then compute four point amplitudes by carrying out massive BCFW shift of the amplitudes. We find some of the shifted amplitudes have a pole at z=\inftyz=∞. Taking the residue at z=\inftyz=∞ into account ensures little group covariance of the final result.

Radiation reaction for spinning black-hole scattering

Starting from the leading soft term of the 5-point amplitude, involving a graviton and two Kerr black holes, that factorises into the product of the elastic amplitude without the graviton and the leading soft factor, we compute the infrared divergent contribution to the imaginary part of the two-loop eikonal. Then, using analyticity and crossing symmetry, we determine the radiative contribution to the real part of the two-loop eikonal and from it the radiative part of the deflection angle for spins aligned to the orbital angular momentum, the loss of angular momentum and the zero frequency limit of the energy spectrum for any spin and for any spin orientation. For spin one we find perfect agreement with recent results obtained with the supersymmetric worldline formalism.

Fractional Soft Limits of Scattering Amplitudes.

It is a common lore that the amplitude for a scattering process involving one soft Nambu-Goldstone boson should scale like an integer power of the soft momentum. We revisit this expectation by considering the 2→2 scattering of phonons in solids. We show that, depending on the helicities of the phonons involved in the scattering process, the scattering amplitude may in fact vanish like a fractional power of the soft momentum. This is a peculiarity of the 4-point amplitude, which can be traced back to (1)the (spontaneous or explicit) breaking of Lorentz invariance, and (2)the approximately collinear kinematics arising when one of the phonons becomes soft. Our results extend to the general class of nonrelativistic shift-invariant theories of a vector field.

Non-BPS supersymmetric 3pt amplitude for one massless, two equally massive particles

In this paper, the non-BPS amplitudes (Z<2m) are considered. Utilizing on-shell methods, the three point amplitudes of two equal-mass particles and one massless particle were constructed, where the two massive particles are non-BPS states. We verify the result by matching the Z=0 and BPS limit with N=2 supersymmetry. As an application we derive the non-BPS coupling for N=4 super-Maxwell and supergravity.

Electromagnetic duality and D3-brane scattering amplitudes beyond leading order

We use on-shell methods to study the non-supersymmetric and supersymmetric low-energy S-matrix on a probe D3-brane, including both the 1-loop contributions of massless states as well as the effects of higher-derivative operators. Our results include: (1) A derivation of the duality invariance of Born-Infeld electrodynamics as the dimensional oxidation of the group of spatial rotations transverse to a probe M2-brane; this is done using a novel implementation of subtracted on-shell recursion. (2) The first explicit loop-level BCJ double-copy in a non-gravitational model, namely the calculation of the 4-point self-dual amplitude of non-supersymmetric Born-Infeld. (3) From previous results for n-point self-dual 1-loop BI amplitudes and the conjectured dimension-shifting relations in Yang-Mills, we obtain an explicit all-multiplicity, at all orders in E, expression for the 1-loop integrand of the MHV sector of mathcal{N} = 4 DBI. (4) For all n > 4, the explicitly integrated duality-violating 1-loop amplitudes (self-dual and next-to-self-dual in pure BI as well as MHV in mathcal{N} = 4 DBI) are shown to be removable at mathcal{O}left({upepsilon}^0right) by adding finite local counterterms; we propose that this may be true more generally at 1-loop order. (5) We find that in non-supersymmetric Born-Infeld, not all finite local counterterms needed to restore electromagnetic duality can be constructed using the double-copy with higher-derivative corrections, suggesting a fundamental tension between electromagnetic duality and color-kinematics duality at loop-level. Finally we comment on oxidation of duality symmetries in supergravity and the parallels it has to the M2-brane to D3-brane oxidation demonstrated in this paper.

Sum rules in the standard model effective field theory from helicity amplitudes

The dispersion relation of an elastic 4-point amplitude in the forward direction leads to a sum rule that connects the low energy amplitude to the high energy observables. We perform a classification of these sum rules based on massless helicity amplitudes. With this classification, we are able to systematically write down the sum rules for the dimension-6 operators of the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT), some of which are absent in previous literatures. These sum rules offer distinct insights on the relations between the operator coefficients in the EFT and the properties of the full theory that generates them. Their applicability goes beyond tree level, and in some cases can be used as a practical method of computing the one loop contributions to low energy observables. They also provide an interesting perspective for understanding the custodial symmetries of the SM Higgs and fermion sectors.