Multiloop Amplitudes Research Articles

Cyclic Products of Higher-Genus Szegö Kernels, Modular Tensors, and Polylogarithms.

A wealth of information on multiloop string amplitudes is encoded in fermionic two-point functions known as Szegö kernels. Here we show that cyclic products of any number of Szegö kernels on a Riemann surface of arbitrary genus may be decomposed into linear combinations of modular tensors on moduli space that carry all the dependence on the spin structure δ. The δ-independent coefficients in these combinations carry all the dependence on the marked points and are composed of the integration kernels of higher-genus polylogarithms. We determine the antiholomorphic moduli derivatives of the δ-dependent modular tensors.

The uncertainty principle and classical amplitudes

We study the variance in the measurement of observables during scattering events, as computed using amplitudes. The classical regime, characterised by negligible uncertainty, emerges as a consequence of an infinite set of relationships among multileg, multiloop amplitudes in a momentum-transfer expansion. We discuss two non-trivial examples in detail: the six-point tree and the five-point one-loop amplitudes in scalar QED. We interpret these relationships in terms of a coherent exponentiation of radiative effects in the classical limit which generalises the eikonal formula, and show how to recover the impulse, including radiation reaction, from this generalised eikonal. Finally, we incorporate the physics of spin into our framework.

Even-point multi-loop unitarity and its applications: exponentiation, anomalies and evanescence

We identify novel structure in newly computed multi-loop amplitudes and quantum actions for even-point effective field theories, including both the nonlinear sigma model (NLSM) and double-copy gauge theories such as Born-Infeld and its supersymmetric generalizations. We exploit special properties of all even-point theories towards establishing an efficient unitarity based amplitude construction. In doing so, we find evidence that the leading IR divergence of NLSM amplitudes exponentiates when the target space is CP\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathbbm{CP} $$\\end{document}1 ≅ SU(2)/U(1). We then systematically compute the two-loop anomalous behavior of Born-Infeld, and find that the counterterms needed to restore U(1) invariant behavior at loop-level can be constructed via a symmetric-structure double-copy. We also demonstrate that the divergent part of the one-minus (−+++) two-loop anomaly vanishes upon introducing an evanescent operator. In addition to these purely photonic counterterms, we verify through explicit calculation that the anomalous matrix elements that violate U(1) duality invariance can be alternatively cancelled by summing over internal 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 DBIVA superfields. Finally we find that 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 Dirac-Born-Infeld-Volkov-Akulov (DBIVA) amplitudes admit double-copy construction through two-loop order by reproducing our unitarity based result with a double copy between color-dual 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 and our two-loop NLSM amplitudes. This result supports the possibility of color-dual representations for NLSM beyond one-loop. We conclude with an overview of how D-dimensional four-photon counterterms can be constructed in generality with the symmetric-structure double-copy, and outline a convenient way of counting evanescent operators using Hilbert series as generating functions.

Group invariants for Feynman diagrams

It is well-known that the symmetry group of a Feynman diagram can give important information on possible strategies for its evaluation, and the mathematical objects that will be involved. Motivated by ongoing work on multi-loop multi-photon amplitudes in quantum electrodynamics, here I will discuss the usefulness of introducing a polynomial basis of invariants of the symmetry group of a diagram in Feynman-Schwinger parameter space.

Amplitude evaluation with pySecDec: A Higgs + three gluons example

We present an application of the major new features of pySecDec, a program designed to numerically calculate multi-loop integrals. One important new feature is the ability to integrate weighted sums of integrals in a way which is optimised to reach a given accuracy goal on the sums rather than on the individual integrals. Another feature is the option to perform asymptotic expansions. These new assets of the program represent an important step towards the efficient evaluation of multi-loop amplitudes in a largely automated way. We will illustrate them in a pedagogical example, through the calculation of the one-loop amplitude for Higgs plus jet production in the gluon channel, mediated by a top quark loop. Numerical results in the heavy top limit, compared to their analytic counterparts, are shown as well.

Extracting Einstein from the loop-level double-copy

The naive double-copy of (multi) loop amplitudes involving massive matter coupled to gauge theories will generically produce amplitudes in a gravitational theory that contains additional contributions from propagating antisymmetric tensor and dilaton states even at tree-level. We present a graph-based approach that combines the method of maximal cuts with double-copy construction to offer a systematic framework to isolate the pure Einstein-Hilbert gravitational contributions through loop level. Indeed this allows for a bootstrap of pure-gravitational results from the double-copy of massive scalar-QCD. We apply this to construct the novel result of the D-dimensional one-loop five-point QFT integrand relevant in the classical limit to generating observables associated with the radiative effects of massive black-hole scattering via pure Einstein-Hilbert gravity.

Geometrical approach to causality in multiloop amplitudes

An impressive effort is being pursued in order to develop new strategies that allow an efficient computation of multi-loop multi-leg Feynman integrals and scattering amplitudes, with a particular emphasis on removing spurious singularities and numerical instabilities. In this article, we describe an innovative geometric approach based on graph theory to unveil the causal structure of any multi-loop multi-leg amplitude in quantum field theory. Our purely geometric construction reproduces faithfully the manifestly causal integrand-level behavior of the loop-tree duality representation. We find that the causal structure is fully determined by the vertex matrix, through a suitable definition of connected partitions of the underlying diagrams. Causal representations for a given topological family are obtained by summing over subsets of all the possible causal entangled thresholds that originate connected and oriented partitions of the underlying topology. These results are compatible with Cutkosky rules. Moreover, we find that diagrams with the same number of vertices and multi-edges exhibit similar causal structures, regardless of the number of loops.

Thermal one-point functions and single-valued polylogarithms

I point out that the thermal one-point functions of a pair of relevant operators in massive free QFTs, in odd dimensions and in the presence of an imaginary chemical potential for a U(1) global charge, are given by certain classes of single-valued polylogarithms. This result is verified by a direct calculation using the thermal OPE. The complex argument of the polylogarithms parametrizes a two-dimensional subspace of relevant deformations of generalised free CFTs, while the rank of the polylogarithms is related to the dimension d. This may be compared with the well-known representation of single-valued polylogarithms as multiloop Feynman amplitudes. As an example, the thermal one-point function of the U(1) charge in d-dimensions generalises the thermal average of the twist operator in a pair of harmonic oscillators and is given by the well-known conformal ladder graphs in four dimensions.

Lotty \u2013 The loop-tree duality automation

Elaborating on the novel formulation of the loop-tree duality, we introduce the Mathematica package Lotty that automates the latter at multi-loop level. By studying the features of Lotty and recalling former studies, we discuss that the representation of any multi-loop amplitude can be brought in a form, at integrand level, that only displays physical information, which we refer to as the causal representation of multi-loop Feynman integrands. In order to elucidate the role of Lotty in this automation, we recall results obtained for the calculation of the dual representation of integrands up-to four loops. Likewise, within Lotty framework, we provide support to the all-loop causal representation recently conjectured by the same author. The numerical stability of the integrands generated by Lotty is studied in two-loop planar and non-planar topologies, where a numerical integration is performed and compared with known results.

The symbol and alphabet of two-loop NMHV amplitudes from overline{Q} equations

We study the symbol and the alphabet for two-loop NMHV amplitudes in planar mathcal{N} = 4 super-Yang-Mills from the overline{Q} equations, which provide a first-principle method for computing multi-loop amplitudes. Starting from one-loop N2MHV ratio functions, we explain in detail how to use overline{Q} equations to obtain the total differential of two-loop n-point NMHV amplitudes, whose symbol contains letters that are algebraic functions of kinematics for n ≥ 8. We present explicit formula with nice patterns for the part of the symbol involving algebraic letters for all multiplicities, and we find 17 − 2m multiplicative-independent letters for a given square root of Gram determinant, with 0 ≤ m ≤ 4 depending on the number of particles involved in the square root. We also observe that these algebraic letters can be found as poles of one-loop four-mass leading singularities with MHV or NMHV trees. As a byproduct of our algebraic results, we find a large class of components of two-loop NMHV, which can be written as differences of two double-pentagon integrals, particularly simple and free of square roots. As an example, we present the complete symbol for n = 9 whose alphabet contains 59 × 9 rational letters, in addition to the 11 × 9 independent algebraic ones. We also give all-loop NMHV last-entry conditions for all multiplicities.

Extended projection method for massive fermions * * Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (11675185)

Tensor reduction is of considerable importance in calculations of multi-loop amplitudes, and the projection method is one of the most popular approaches for tensor reduction. However, the projection method can be problematic when applied to amplitudes with massive fermions, due to the inconsistency between helicity and chirality. We propose an extended projection method for reducing the loop amplitude which contains a fermion chain with two massive spinors. The extension is achieved by decomposing one of the massive spinors into two massless spinors, the “null spinor” and the “reference spinor”. The extended projection method can be effectively applied in all processes, including the production of massive fermions. We present the tensor reduction for a virtual Z boson decaying into a top-quark pair as a demonstration of our approach.

Transcendentality violation in type IIB string amplitudes

We analyze transcendentality for certain terms that arise in multiloop amplitudes in the low momentum expansion of the four graviton amplitude in type IIB string theory in ten dimensions, based on the constraints of supersymmetry and S-duality. This leads to several contributions that violate transcendentality beyond one loop at all orders in the low momentum expansion. We also perform a similar analysis for the five graviton amplitude, obtaining contributions that involve single-valued multiple zeta values beyond tree level.

Topological amplitude computations using the pure spinor formalism

After constructing a simplified four-dimensional version of the b ghost, topological multiloop amplitudes in type II superstring theory compactified on a six-dimensional orbifold are computed using the non-minimal pure spinor formalism. These pure spinor amplitude computations preserve manifest N = 2 D = 4 supersymmetry and, unlike the analogous topological multiloop amplitude computations using the hybrid formalism, can be extended to non-topological amplitudes.

Maximally supersymmetric amplitudes at infinite loop momentum

We investigate the asymptotically large loop-momentum behavior of multi-loop amplitudes in maximally supersymmetric quantum field theories in four dimensions. We check residue-theorem identities among color-dressed leading singularities in $\mathcal{N}=4$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory to demonstrate the absence of poles at infinity of all MHV amplitudes through three loops. Considering the same test for $\mathcal{N}=8$ supergravity leads us to discover that this theory does support non-vanishing residues at infinity starting at two loops, and the degree of these poles grow arbitrarily with multiplicity. This causes a tension between simultaneously manifesting ultraviolet finiteness---which would be automatic in a representation obtained by color-kinematic duality---and gauge invariance---which would follow from unitarity-based methods.

A GPU compatible quasi-Monte Carlo integrator interfaced to pySecDec

The purely numerical evaluation of multi-loop integrals and amplitudes can be a viable alternative to analytic approaches, in particular in the presence of several mass scales, provided sufficient accuracy can be achieved in an acceptable amount of time. For many multi-loop integrals, the fraction of time required to perform the numerical integration is significant and it is therefore beneficial to have efficient and well-implemented numerical integration methods. With this goal in mind, we present a new stand-alone integrator based on the use of (quasi-Monte Carlo) rank-1 shifted lattice rules. For integrals with high variance we also implement a variance reduction algorithm based on fitting a smooth function to the inverse cumulative distribution function of the integrand dimension-by-dimension. Additionally, the new integrator is interfaced to pySecDec to allow the straightforward evaluation of multi-loop integrals and dimensionally regulated parameter integrals. In order to make use of recent advances in parallel computing hardware, our integrator can be used both on CPUs and CUDA compatible GPUs where available. Program summaryProgram Title: pySecDec, qmcProgram Files doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/dnrkf5jxzh.2Licensing provisions: GNU General Public License v3Programming language: python, FORM, C++, CUDAExternal routines/libraries: catch [1], gsl [2], numpy [3], sympy [4], Nauty [5], Cuba [6], FORM [7], Normaliz [8]. The program can also be used in a mode which does not require Normaliz.Journal reference of previous version: Comput. Phys. Commun. 222 (2018) 313–326.Does the new version supersede the previous version?: YesNature of problem: Extraction of ultraviolet and infrared singularities from parametric integrals appearing in higher order perturbative calculations in quantum field theory. Numerical integration in the presence of integrable singularities (e.g. kinematic thresholds).Solution method: Algebraic extraction of singularities within dimensional regularization using iterated sector decomposition. This leads to a Laurent series in the dimensional regularization parameter ϵ (and optionally other regulators), where the coefficients are finite integrals over the unit-hypercube. Those integrals are evaluated numerically by Monte Carlo integration. The integrable singularities are handled by choosing a suitable integration contour in the complex plane, in an automated way. The parameter integrals forming the coefficients of the Laurent series in the regulator(s) are provided in the form of libraries which can be linked to the calculation of (multi-) loop amplitudes.Restrictions: Depending on the complexity of the problem, limited by memory and CPU/GPU time.

Multiloop soft theorem for gravitons and dilatons in the bosonic string

We construct, in the closed bosonic string, the multiloop amplitude involving N tachyons and one massless particle with 26 − D compactified directions, and we show that at least for D > 4, the soft behaviors of the graviton and dilaton satisfy the same soft theorems as at the tree level, up to one additional term at the subsubleading order, which can only contribute to the dilaton soft behavior and which we show is zero at least at one loop. This is possible, since the infrared divergences due to the non-vanishing tachyon and dilaton tadpoles do not depend on the number of external particles and are therefore the same both in the amplitude with the soft particle and in the amplitude without the soft particle. Therefore this leaves unchanged the soft operator acting on the amplitude without the soft particle. The additional infrared divergence appearing for D ≤ 4 depend on the number of external legs and must be understood on their own.

Direct numerical computation and its application to the higher-order radiative corrections

The direct computation method(DCM) is developed to calculate the multi-loop amplitude for general masses and external momenta. The ultraviolet divergence is under control in dimensional regularization. In this paper we report on the progress of DCM to several scalar multi-loop integrals after the presentation in ACAT2016. Also the discussion is given on the application of DCM to physical 2-loop processes including numerator functions.

Numerical Methods and the 4-point 2-loop Higgs amplitudes

Some of the difficulties faced when calculating multi-loop amplitudes with several mass scales are reviewed. We then focus on one particular difficulty, the evaluation of the Feynman integrals, and introduce the program pySecDec which can be used to numerically compute such integrals. Some of the new features and in particular the sector symmetry finder, which can help to reduce the number of sectors to be numerically integrated after sector decomposition, are described.

Multiloop amplitudes of light-cone gauge superstring field theory: odd spin structure contributions

We study the odd spin structure contributions to the multiloop amplitudes of light-cone gauge superstring field theory. We show that they coincide with the amplitudes in the conformal gauge with two of the vertex operators chosen to be in the pictures different from the standard choice, namely (−1, −1) picture in the type II case and −1 picture in the heterotic case. We also show that the contact term divergences can be regularized in the same way as in the amplitudes for the even structures and we get the amplitudes which coincide with those obtained from the first-quantized approach.

Top-forms of leading singularities in nonplanar multi-loop amplitudes

The on-shell diagram is a very important tool in studying scattering amplitudes. In this paper we discuss the on-shell diagrams without external BCFW bridges. We introduce an extra step of adding an auxiliary external momentum line. Then we can decompose the on-shell diagrams by removing external BCFW bridges to a planar diagram whose top-form is well known now. The top-form of the on-shell diagram with the auxiliary line can be obtained by adding the BCFW bridges in an inverse order as discussed in our former paper (Chen et al. in Eur Phys J C 77(2):80 2017). To get the top-form of the original diagram, the soft limit of the auxiliary line is needed. We obtain the evolution rule for the Grassmannian integral and the geometry constraint in the soft limit. This completes the top-form description of leading singularities in nonplanar scattering amplitudes of mathcal {N}=4 Super Yang–Mills (SYM), which is valid for arbitrary higher-loops and beyond the Maximally-Helicity-Violation (MHV) amplitudes.