Ambitwistor String Research Articles

Bosonic sectorized strings and the (DF)2 theory

In this work, we investigate the bosonic chiral string in the sectorized inter- pretation, computing its spectrum, kinetic action and 3-point amplitudes. As expected, the bosonic ambitwistor string is recovered in the tensionless limit. We also consider an extension of the bosonic model with current algebras. In that case, we compute the effective action and show that it is essentially the same as the action of the mass-deformed (DF )2 theory found by Johansson and Nohle. Aspects which might seem somewhat contrived in the original construction — such as the inclusion of a scalar transforming in some real representation of the gauge group — are shown to follow very naturally from the worldsheet formulation of the theory.

Chiral strings, the sectorized description and their integrated vertex operators

A chiral string can be seen as an ordinary string in a singular gauge for the worldsheet metric and has the ambitwistor string as its tensionless limit. As proposed by Siegel, there is a one-parameter (β) gauge family interpolating between the chiral limit and the usual conformal gauge in string theory. This idea was used to compute scattering amplitudes of tensile chiral strings, which are given by standard string amplitudes with modified (β-dependent) antiholomorphic propagators. Due to the absence of a sensible definition of the integrated vertex operator, there is still no ordinary prescription for higher than 3-point amplitude computations directly from the chiral model. The exception is the tensionless limit. In this work this gap will be filled. Starting with a chiral string action, the integrated vertex operator is defined, relying on the so-called sectorized interpretation. As it turns out, this construction effectively emulates a left/right factorization of the scattering ampli- tude and introduces a relative sign flip in the propagator for the sector-split target space coordinates. N -point tree-level amplitudes can be easily shown to coincide with the results of Siegel et al.

Two-loop scattering amplitudes: double-forward limit and colour-kinematics duality

We propose new formulae for the two-loop n-point D-dimensional integrands of scattering amplitudes in Yang-Mills theory and gravity. The loop integrands are written as a double-forward limit of tree-level trivalent diagrams, and are inferred from the formalism of the two-loop scattering equations. We discuss the relationship between the formulae for non-supersymmetric theories and the Neveu-Schwarz sector of the formulae for maximally supersymmetric theories, which can be derived from ambitwistor strings. An important property of the loop integrands is that they are expressed in a representation that includes linear-type propagators. This representation exhibits a loop-level version of the colour- kinematics duality, which follows directly from tree level via the double-forward limit.

Celestial amplitudes and conformal soft theorems

Scattering amplitudes in d + 2 dimensions can be expressed in terms of a conformal basis, for which the S-matrix behaves as a CFT correlation function on the celestial d-sphere. We explain how compact expressions for the full tree-level S-matrix of gauge theory, gravity and other QFTs extend to this conformal basis, and are easily derived from ambitwistor strings. Using these formulae and their worldsheet origins, we prove various tree-level ‘conformal soft theorems’ in gauge theory and gravity in any dimension; these arise from limits where the scaling dimension of an external state in the scattering process takes special values. These conformally soft limits are obscure from standard methods, but they are easily derived with ambitwistor strings. Additionally, we make an identification between the residues of conformally soft vertex operator insertions in ambitwistor strings and charges generating asymptotic symmetries.

Polarized Scattering Equations for 6D Superamplitudes.

We introduce a spinorial version of the scattering equations, the polarized scattering equations, that incorporates spinor polarization data. They underpin new formulas for tree-level scattering amplitudes in six dimensions that directly extend to maximal supersymmetry. We find new ingredients for integrands for super Yang-Mills theory, gravity, M5 and D5 branes. We explain how the polarized scattering equations and supersymmetry representations arise from an ambitwistor string with target given by a supertwistor description of 6D superambitwistor space. On reduction to four dimensions, the polarized scattering equations give rise to massive analogues of the 4D refined scattering equations for amplitudes on the Coulomb branch. They give a quite distinct framework from that of Cachazo etal.; in particular, the formulas do not change character from even to odd numbers of particles.

Chiral strings, topological branes, and a generalised Weyl-invariance

We introduce a sigma model Lagrangian generalising a number of new and old models which can be thought of as chiral, including the Schild string, ambitwistor strings, and the recently introduced tensionless AdS twistor strings. This “chiral sigma model” describes maps from a [Formula: see text]-brane worldvolume into a symplectic space and is manifestly invariant under diffeomorphisms as well as under a “generalised Weyl invariance” acting on space–time coordinates and worldvolume fields simultaneously. Construction of the Batalin–Vilkovisky master action leads to a BRST operator under which the gauge-fixed action is BRST-exact; we discuss whether this implies that the chiral brane sigma model defines a topological field theory.

Ambitwistor string vertex operators on curved backgrounds

We present vertex operators for ambitwistor strings around generic Yang-Mills, gravity and NS-NS backgrounds. The requirement that vertex operators lie in the BRST cohomology of the worldsheet theory enforces the appropriate linear equations of motion (as well as gauge fixing conditions) for the respective perturbations in these backgrounds. Due to the nature of ambitwistor strings, no approximation is taken and all calculations around the backgrounds are exact.

Two-loop scattering amplitudes from ambitwistor strings: from genus two to the nodal Riemann sphere

We derive from ambitwistor strings new formulae for two-loop scattering amplitudes in supergravity and super-Yang-Mills theory, with any number of particles. We start by constructing a formula for the type II ambitwistor string amplitudes on a genus-two Riemann surface, and then study the localisation of the moduli space integration on a degenerate limit, where the genus-two surface turns into a Riemann sphere with two nodes. This leads to scattering amplitudes in supergravity, expressed in the formalism of the two-loop scattering equations. For super-Yang-Mills theory, we import ‘half’ of the supergravity result, and determine the colour dependence by considering a current algebra on the nodal Riemann sphere, thereby completely specifying the two-loop analogue of the Parke-Taylor factor, including non-planar contributions. We also present in appendices explicit expressions for the Szegő kernels and the partition functions for even spin structures, up to the relevant orders in the degeneration parameters, which may be useful for related investigations in conventional superstring theory.

Field theory actions for ambitwistor string and superstring

We analyze the free ambitwistor string field theory action for the bosonic string, heterotic string and both GSO sectors of the Type II string. The spectrum contains non-unitary states and provides an interesting consistency test for one-loop ambitwistor string computations.

A note on circle compactification of tensile ambitwistor string

We discuss a number of problems associated with the circle compactification of the bosonic tensile ambitwistor string with the asymmetric vacuum choice. By considering the spectrum and physical state conditions, we show that the circle radius plays a role as a tuning parameter which determines the low energy effective field theory. At the self dual point, we construct the current operators and compute OPEs between them. While the final outcome remains as yet inconclusive, several new results are obtained. Through the current algebra analysis we show that there is a subsector of the massless states where the gauge symmetry is enhanced to ISO(2)L×SU(2)R. Using the fact that the one loop partition function is not modular invariant, we show that tensile ambitwistor string partition function is exactly the same as a field theory partition function. Our result proves that despite the existence of winding modes, which is a typical characteristic of a string, the tensile ambitwistor string behaves as a point particle theory.

New worldsheet formulae for conformal supergravity amplitudes

We use 4d ambitwistor string theory to derive new worldsheet formulae for tree-level conformal supergravity amplitudes supported on refined scattering equations. Unlike the worldsheet formulae for super-Yang-Mills or supergravity, the scattering equations for conformal supergravity are not in general refined by MHV degree. Nevertheless, we obtain a concise worldsheet formula for any number of scalars and gravitons which we lift to a manifestly supersymmetric formula using four types of vertex operators. The theory also contains states with non-plane wave boundary conditions and we show that the corresponding amplitudes can be obtained from plane-wave amplitudes by applying momentum derivatives. Such derivatives are subtle to define since the formulae are intrinsically four-dimensional and on-shell, so we develop a method for computing momentum derivatives of spinor variables.

Four-dimensional ambitwistor strings and form factors of local and Wilson line operators

We consider the description of form factors of local and Wilson line operators (reggeon amplitudes) in N=4 SYM within the framework of four dimensional ambitwistor string theory. We present the explicit expressions for string composite operators corresponding to stress-tensor operator supermultiplet and Wilson line operator insertion. It is shown, that corresponding tree-level string correlation functions correctly reproduce previously obtained Grassmannian integral representations. As by product we derive four dimensional tree-level scattering equations representations for the mentioned form factors and formulate a simple gluing procedure used to relate operator form factors with on-shell amplitudes.

Fermionic one-loop amplitudes of the RNS superstring

We investigate massless n-point one-loop amplitudes of the open RNS superstring with two external fermions and determine their worldsheet integrands. The contributing correlation functions involving spin-1/2 and spin-3/2 operators from the fermion vertices are evaluated to any multiplicity. Moreover, we introduce techniques to sum these correlators over the spin structures of the worldsheet fermions such as to manifest all cancellations due to spacetime supersymmetry. These spin sums require generalizations of the Riemann identities among Jacobi theta functions, and the results can be expressed in terms of doubly-periodic functions known from the mathematics literature on elliptic multiple zeta values. On the boundary of moduli space, our spin-summed correlators specialize to compact representations of fermionic one-loop integrands for ambitwistor strings.

Gluons and gravitons at one loop from ambitwistor strings

We present new and explicit formulae for the one-loop integrands of scattering amplitudes in non-supersymmetric gauge theory and gravity, valid for any number of particles. The results exhibit the colour-kinematics duality in gauge theory and the double-copy relation to gravity, in a form that was recently observed in supersymmetric theories. The new formulae are expressed in a particular representation of the loop integrand, with only one quadratic propagator, which arises naturally from the framework of the loop-level scattering equations. The starting point in our work are the expressions based on the scattering equations that were recently derived from ambitwistor string theory. We turn these expressions into explicit formulae depending only on the loop momentum, the external momenta and the external polarisations. These formulae are valid in any number of spacetime dimensions for pure Yang-Mills theory (gluon) and its natural double copy, NS-NS gravity (graviton, dilaton, B-field), and we also present formulae in four spacetime dimensions for pure gravity (graviton). We perform several tests of our results, such as checking gauge invariance and directly matching our four-particle formulae to previously known expressions. While these tests would be elaborate in a Feynman-type representation of the loop integrand, they become straightforward in the representation we use.

A gluing operator for the ambitwistor string

We present a new operator in the ambitwistor string which glues together correlators with fewer points or of lower genus. It underpins the recursive construction of tree-level CHY scattering amplitudes by Dolan & Goddard, as well as the computation of loop integrands on a Riemann sphere by Geyer et al. The gluing operator is a tractable object due to the finiteness of the spectrum. In particular, we demonstrate how it gives rise to the complete one-loop integrand in SYM and SUGRA. The operator is conjectured to be the path integral incarnation of the ambitwistor string propagator, and to coincide with the field theory limit of the standard string theory propagator.

Amplitudes on plane waves from ambitwistor strings

In marked contrast to conventional string theory, ambitwistor strings remain solvable worldsheet theories when coupled to curved background fields. We use this fact to consider the quantization of ambitwistor strings on plane wave metric and plane wave gauge field backgrounds. In each case, the worldsheet model is anomaly free as a consequence of the background satisfying the field equations. We derive vertex operators (in both fixed and descended picture numbers) for gravitons and gluons on these backgrounds from the worldsheet CFT, and study the 3-point functions of these vertex operators on the Riemann sphere. These worldsheet correlation functions reproduce the known results for 3-point scattering amplitudes of gravitons and gluons in gravitational and gauge theoretic plane wave backgrounds, respectively.

Ambitwistor formulations of R2 gravity and (DF)2 gauge theories

We consider D-dimensional amplitudes in R2 gravities (conformal gravity in D = 4) and in the recently introduced (DF)2 gauge theory, from the perspective of the CHY formulae and ambitwistor string theory. These theories are related through the BCJ double-copy construction, and the (DF)2 gauge theory obeys color-kinematics duality. We work out the worldsheet details of these theories and show that they admit a formulation as integrals on the support of the scattering equations, or alternatively, as ambitwistor string theories. For gravity, this generalizes the work done by Berkovits and Witten on conformal gravity to D dimensions. The ambitwistor is also interpreted as a D-dimensional generalization of Witten’s twistor string (SYM + conformal supergravity). As part of our ambitwistor investigation, we discover another (DF)2 gauge theory containing a photon that couples to Einstein gravity. This theory can provide an alternative KLT description of Einstein gravity compared to the usual Yang-Mills squared.

The complex null string, Galilean conformal algebra and scattering equations

The scattering equation formalism for scattering amplitudes, and its stringy incarnation, the ambitwistor string, remains a mysterious construction. In this paper, we pursue the study a gauged-unfixed version of the ambitwistor string known as the null string. We explore the following three aspects in detail; its complexification, gauge fixing, and amplitudes. We first study the complexification of the string; the associated symmetries and moduli, and connection to the ambitwistor string. We then look in more details at the leftover symmetry algebra of the string, called Galilean conformal algebra; we study its local and global action and gauge-fixing. We finish by presenting an operator formalism, that we use to compute tree-level scattering amplitudes based on the scattering equations and a one-loop partition function. These results hopefully will open the way to understand conceptual questions related to the loop expansion in these twistor-like string models.

Connecting the ambitwistor and the sectorized heterotic strings

The sectorized description of the (chiral) heterotic string using pure spinors has been misleadingly viewed as an infinite tension string. One evidence for this fact comes from the tree level 3-point graviton amplitude, which we show to contain the usual Einstein term plus a higher curvature contribution. After reintroducing a dimensionful parameter ℓ in the theory, we demonstrate that the heterotic model is in fact two-fold, depending on the choice of the supersymmetric sector, and that the spectrum also contains one massive (open string like) multiplet. By taking the limit ℓ → ∞, we finally show that the ambitwistor string is recovered, reproducing the unexpected heterotic state in Mason and Skinner’s RNS description.

Ambitwistor strings and reggeon amplitudes in [formula omitted] SYM

We consider the description of reggeon amplitudes (Wilson lines form factors) in N=4 SYM within the framework of four dimensional ambitwistor string theory. The latter is used to derive scattering equations representation for reggeon amplitudes with multiple reggeized gluons present. It is shown, that corresponding tree-level string correlation function correctly reproduces previously obtained Grassmannian integral representation of reggeon amplitudes in N=4 SYM.