Bi-adjoint Scalar Amplitudes Research Articles

Color-Dressed Generalized Biadjoint Scalar Amplitudes: Local Planarity

The biadjoint scalar theory has cubic interactions and fields transforming in the biadjoint representation of ${\rm SU}(N)\times {\rm SU}\big({\tilde N}\big)$. Amplitudes are ''color'' decomposed in terms of partial amplitudes computed using Feynman diagrams which are simultaneously planar with respect to two orderings. In 2019, a generalization of biadjoint scalar amplitudes based on generalized Feynman diagrams (GFDs) was introduced. GFDs are collections of Feynman diagrams derived by incorporating an additional constraint of ''local planarity'' into the construction of the arrangements of metric trees in combinatorics. In this work, we propose a natural generalization of color orderings which leads to color-dressed amplitudes. A generalized color ordering (GCO) is defined as a collection of standard color orderings that is induced, in a precise sense, from an arrangement of projective lines on $\mathbb{RP}^2$. We present results for $n\leq 9$ generalized color orderings and GFDs, uncovering new phenomena in each case. We discover generalized decoupling identities and propose a definition of the ''colorless'' generalized scalar amplitude. We also propose a notion of GCOs for arbitrary $\mathbb{RP}^{k-1}$, discuss some of their properties, and comment on their GFDs. In a companion paper, we explore the definition of partial amplitudes using CEGM integral formulas.

Note on NLSM tree amplitudes and soft theorems

AbstractThis note provides a new point of view for bootstrapping the tree amplitudes of the nonlinear sigma model (NLSM). We use the universality of single soft behavior, together with the double copy structure, to completely determine the tree amplitudes of the NLSM. We first observe Adler’s zero for four-point NLSM amplitudes, by considering kinematics. Then we assume the universality of Adler’s zero and use this requirement to construct general tree amplitudes of the NLSM in the expanded formula, i.e., the formula of expanding NLSM amplitudes to bi-adjoint scalar amplitudes, which allows us to give explicit expressions of amplitudes with arbitrary numbers of external legs. The construction does not require the assumption of quartic diagrams. We also derive double soft factors for NLSM tree amplitudes based on the resulting expanded formula, and the results are consistent with those in the literature.

Holonomic representation of biadjoint scalar amplitudes

We study tree-level biadjoint scalar amplitudes in the language of D-modules. We construct left ideals in the Weyl algebra D that allow a holonomic representation of n-point amplitudes in terms of the linear partial differential equations they satisfy. The resulting representation encodes the simple pole and recursive properties of the amplitude.

Biadjoint scalars and associahedra from residues of generalized amplitudes

In the Grassmannian formulation of the S-matrix for planar 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, Nk−2MHV scattering amplitudes for k negative and n − k positive helicity gluons can be expressed, by an application of the global residue theorem, as a signed sum over a collection of (k − 2)(n − k − 2)-dimensional residues. These residues are supported on certain positroid subvarieties of the Grassmannian G(k, n). In this paper, we replace the Grassmannian G(3, n) with its torus quotient, the moduli space of n points in the projective plane in general position, and planar 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 SYM with generalized biadjoint scalar amplitudes mn3\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {m}_n^{(3)} $$\\end{document} as introduced by Cachazo-Early-Guevara-Mizera (CEGM) [1]. Whereas in the Grassmannian formulation residues of the Parke-Taylor form correspond to individual BCFW, or on-shell diagrams, we show that each such (n − 5)-dimensional residue of mn3\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {m}_n^{(3)} $$\\end{document} an entire biadjoint scalar partial amplitude mn2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {m}_n^{(2)} $$\\end{document}, that is a sum over all tree-level Feynman diagrams for a fixed planar order. We make a proposal which would do the same for k ≥ 4.

Ambitwistor strings in six and five dimensions

Ambitwistor strings are chiral (holomorphic) strings whose target is the space of complex null geodesics, ambitwistor space. We introduce twistor representations of ambitwistor space in 6 and 5 dimensions. In 6d the twistor representation is naturally conformally invariant. Anomaly cancellation leads to models that describe biadjoint scalar amplitudes and certain conformally invariant gauge and gravity theories, respectively of 4th and 6th order. There are three such models, reflecting triality for the conformal group SO(8) associated to these 6d models. On reduction to five dimensions, gauge anomaly cancellation requires supersymmetry and the resulting models describe maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills and gravity. The twistor representation of these ambitwistor strings lead to formulæ for maximally supersymmetric gauge and gravity amplitudes based on the polarized scattering equations in 5d, found earlier by the first two authors.

One-loop integrand from generalised scattering equations

Generalised bi-adjoint scalar amplitudes, obtained from integrations over moduli space of punctured ℂℙk − 1, are novel extensions of the CHY formalism. These amplitudes have realisations in terms of Grassmannian cluster algebras. Recently connections between one-loop integrands for bi-adjoint cubic scalar theory and {mathcal{D}}_n cluster polytope have been established. In this paper using the Gr (3, 6) cluster algebra, we relate the singularities of (3, 6) amplitude to four-point one-loop integrand in the bi-adjoint cubic scalar theory through the {mathcal{D}}_4 cluster polytope. We also study factorisation properties of the (3, 6) amplitude at various boundaries in the worldsheet.

Constraints on a massive double-copy and applications to massive gravity

We propose and study a BCJ double-copy of massive particles, showing that it is equivalent to a KLT formula with a kernel given by the inverse of a matrix of massive bi-adjoint scalar amplitudes. For models with a uniform non-zero mass spectrum we demonstrate that the resulting double-copy factors on physical poles and that up to at least 5-particle scattering, color-kinematics duality satisfying numerators always exist. For the scattering of 5 or more particles, the procedure generically introduces spurious singularities that must be cancelled by imposing additional constraints. When massive particles are present, color-kinematics duality is not enough to guarantee a physical double-copy. As an example, we apply the formalism to massive Yang-Mills and show that up to 4-particle scattering the double-copy construction generates physical amplitudes of a model of dRGT massive gravity coupled to a dilaton and a two-form with dilaton parity violating couplings. We show that the spurious singularities in the 5-particle double-copy do not cancel in this example, and the construction fails to generate physically sensible amplitudes. We conjecture sufficient constraints on the mass spectrum, which in addition to massive BCJ relations, guarantee the absence of spurious singularities.

Expansions of tree amplitudes for Einstein–Maxwell and other theories

Abstract The expansions of tree-level scattering amplitudes for one theory into amplitudes for another theory, which have been studied in recent work, exhibit hidden connections between different theories that are invisible in the traditional Lagrangian formulism of quantum field theory. In this paper, the general expansion of tree Einstein–Maxwell amplitudes into the Kleiss–Kuijf basis of tree Yang–Mills amplitudes has been derived by applying a method based on differential operators. The obtained coefficients are shared by the expansion of tree $\phi^4$ amplitudes into tree BS (bi-adjoint scalar) amplitudes and the expansion of tree special Yang–Mills scalar amplitudes into tree BS amplitudes, as well the expansion of tree Dirac–Born–Infeld amplitudes into tree non-linear sigma model amplitudes.

Tropical Grassmannians, cluster algebras and scattering amplitudes

We provide a cluster-algebraic approach to the computation of the recently introduced generalised biadjoint scalar amplitudes related to Grassmannians Gr(k, n). A finite cluster algebra provides a natural triangulation for the tropical Grassmannian whose volume computes the scattering amplitudes. Using this method one can construct the entire colour-ordered amplitude via mutations starting from a single term.

Unified web for expansions of amplitudes

In this paper, we demonstrate that using differential operators one can construct the complete unified web for expansions of amplitudes for a wide range of theories. We first re-derive the expansion of multi-trace Einstein-Yang-Mills amplitudes to Kleiss-Kuijf basis of color-ordered Yang-Mills amplitudes, by applying proper differential operators which modify the coefficients in the recursive expansion of single-trace Einstein- Yang-Mills amplitudes. Next, through differential operators which act on amplitudes only, we obtain expansions of amplitudes of Yang-Mills theory, Yang-Mills-scalar theory, ϕ4 theory, non-linear sigma model, bi-adjoint scalar theory, Born-Infeld theory, Dirac-Born-Infeld theory and special Galileon theory. Then, together with other results in literatures, the complete unified web is achieved. This web for expansions is the dual version of the unified web for differential operators. Thus, connections among amplitudes of a variety of theories, which are reflected by Cachazo-He-Yuan integrands and differential operators previously, can also be represented by expansions. We also find that amplitudes of all theories in the web can be expanded to double color-ordered bi-adjoint scalar amplitudes in the double copy formula.

Scattering equations: from projective spaces to tropical grassmannians

We introduce a natural generalization of the scattering equations, which connect the space of Mandelstam invariants to that of points on ℂℙ1, to higher-dimensional projective spaces ℂℙk − 1. The standard, k = 2 Mandelstam invariants, sab, are generalized to completely symmetric tensors {mathrm{s}}_{a_1{a}_2dots {a}_k} subject to a ‘massless’ condition {mathrm{s}}_{a_1{a}_2dots {a}_{k-2}bb}=0 and to ‘momentum conservation’. The scattering equations are obtained by constructing a potential function and computing its critical points. We mainly concentrate on the k = 3 case: study solutions and define the generalization of biadjoint scalar amplitudes. We compute all ‘biadjoint amplitudes’ for (k, n) = (3, 6) and find a direct connection to the tropical Grassmannian. This leads to the notion of k = 3 Feynman diagrams. We also find a concrete realization of the new kinematic spaces, which coincides with the spinor-helicity formalism for k = 2, and provides analytic solutions analogous to the MHV ones.

Properties of scattering forms and their relation to associahedra

We show that the half-integrands in the CHY representation of tree amplitudes give rise to the definition of differential forms — the scattering forms — on the moduli space of a Riemann sphere with n marked points. These differential forms have some remarkable properties. We show that all singularities are on the divisor {overline{mathrm{mathcal{M}}}}_{0,n}backslash {mathrm{mathcal{M}}}_{0,n} . Each singularity is logarithmic and the residue factorises into two differential forms of lower points. In order for this to work, we provide a threefold generalisation of the CHY polarisation factor (also known as reduced Pfaffian) towards off-shell momenta, unphysical polarisations and away from the solutions of the scattering equations. We discuss explicitly the cases of bi-adjoint scalar amplitudes, Yang-Mills amplitudes and gravity amplitudes.

Combinatorics and topology of Kawai-Lewellen-Tye relations

We revisit the relations between open and closed string scattering amplitudes discovered by Kawai, Lewellen, and Tye (KLT). We show that they emerge from the un-derlying algebro-topological identities known as the twisted period relations. In order to do so, we formulate tree-level string theory amplitudes in the language of twisted de Rham theory. There, open string amplitudes are understood as pairings between twisted cycles and cocycles. Similarly, closed string amplitudes are given as a pairing between two twisted cocycles. Finally, objects relating the two types of string amplitudes are the α′-corrected bi-adjoint scalar amplitudes recently defined by the author [1]. We show that they naturally arise as intersection numbers of twisted cycles. In this work we focus on the combinatorial and topological description of twisted cycles relevant for string theory amplitudes. In this setting, each twisted cycle is a polytope, known in combinatorics as the associahedron, together with an additional structure encoding monodromy properties of string integrals. In fact, this additional structure is given by higher-dimensional generalizations of the Pochhammer contour. An open string amplitude is then computed as an integral of a logarithmic form over an associahedron. We show that the inverse of the KLT kernel can be calculated from the knowledge of how pairs of associahedra intersect one another in the moduli space. In the field theory limit, contributions from these intersections localize to vertices of the associahedra, giving rise to the bi-adjoint scalar partial amplitudes.

Inverse of the string theory KLT kernel

The field theory Kawai-Lewellen-Tye (KLT) kernel, which relates scattering amplitudes of gravitons and gluons, turns out to be the inverse of a matrix whose components are bi-adjoint scalar partial amplitudes. In this note we propose an analogous construction for the string theory KLT kernel. We present simple diagrammatic rules for the computation of the α′-corrected bi-adjoint scalar amplitudes that are exact in α′. We find compact expressions in terms of graphs, where the standard Feynman propagators 1/p2 are replaced by either 1/sin(πα′p2/2) or 1/tan(πα′p2/2), as determined by a recursive procedure. We demonstrate how the same object can be used to conveniently expand open string partial amplitudes in a BCJ basis.