Six-point Amplitude Research Articles

Emergence of String Monodromy in Effective Field Theory.

We demonstrate that when the field theory Kleiss-Kuijf and Bern-Carrasco-Johansson relations are imposed on one color ordering of general local bi-adjoint scalar effective field theories, the string monodromy relations must be obeyed by the other color ordering. This is a surprising example of an open string world-sheet property appearing in a purely field theoretic context. As part of the derivation, we show that nonlinear relations among the four-point Wilson coefficients arise from imposing linear symmetries on the six-point amplitude via factorization.

Relations between closed string amplitudes and mixed string amplitudes at tree-level

This paper investigates the relationships between closed and mixed string amplitudes at the tree level in string theory. Through the analytic continuation of complex variables, we establish a factorization of closed string amplitudes into those involving (n − 2) open strings and a single closed string. Expressions for four-, five-, and six-point amplitudes are provided, together with systematic formulations for n-point string amplitudes. The paper addresses possible correction terms arising from integration along infinite tubes during the process of Wick rotations. The implications of our findings are discussed in certain limits.

Scattering three closed strings off a Dp-brane in pure spinor formalism

We compute the disk amplitude of three closed strings in the pure spinor formalism. Among others, this amplitude probes tree-level gravitational interactions in the presence of Dp-branes. After disentangling holomorphic and anti-holomorphic closed string coordinates on the disk by means of introducing monodromy phases we find a compact expression for the disk amplitude of three closed strings in terms of open superstring six-point amplitudes. Furthermore, we provide the low-energy expansion (in the inverse string tension) of our amplitude and discuss some relevant Dp-brane couplings associated to it. Finally, we write down an expression for the general structure of the disk amplitude of any number nc of closed strings in terms of pure open string amplitudes involving 2nc open strings.

Bootstrapping Witten diagrams via differential representation in Mellin space

We explore the use of the differential representation of AdS amplitudes to compute Witten diagrams. The differential representation expresses AdS amplitudes in terms of conformal generators acting on contact Witten diagrams, which allows us to construct differential equations for Witten diagrams. These differential equations can then be transformed into difference equations in Mellin space, which can be solved recursively. Using this method, we efficiently re-computed scalar four-point amplitudes and obtained new results for scalar six-point amplitudes mediated by gluons and scalars, as well as two examples of scalar eight-point amplitudes from gluon exchange.

Bootstrapping a stress-tensor form factor through eight loops

We bootstrap the three-point form factor of the chiral stress-tensor multiplet in planar mathcal{N} = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory at six, seven, and eight loops, using boundary data from the form factor operator product expansion. This may represent the highest perturbative order to which multi-variate quantities in a unitary four-dimensional quantum field theory have been computed. In computing this form factor, we observe and employ new restrictions on pairs and triples of adjacent letters in the symbol. We provide details about the function space required to describe the form factor through eight loops. Plotting the results on various lines provides striking numerical evidence for a finite radius of convergence of perturbation theory. By the principle of maximal transcendentality, our results are expected to give the highest weight part of the gg → Hg and H → ggg amplitudes in the heavy-top limit of QCD through eight loops. These results were also recently used to discover a new antipodal duality between this form factor and a six-point amplitude in the same theory.

All two-loop, color-dressed, six-point amplitude integrands in supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory

We construct all ${\mathrm{N}}^{k}\mathrm{MHV}$ six-particle amplitude integrands in color-dressed, maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory at two loops in a single prescriptive basis of master integrands.

Graviton particle statistics and coherent states from classical scattering amplitudes

In the two-body scattering problem in general relativity, we study the final graviton particle distribution using a perturbative approach. We compute the mean, the variance and the factorial moments of the distribution from the expectation value of the graviton number operator in the KMOC formalism. For minimally coupled scalar particles, the leading deviation from the Poissonian distribution is given by the unitarity cut involving the six-point tree amplitude with the emission of two gravitons. We compute this amplitude in two independent ways. First, we use an extension of the Cheung-Remmen parametrization that includes minimally coupled scalars. We then repeat the calculation using on-shell BCFW-like techniques, finding complete agreement. In the classical limit, this amplitude gives a purely quantum contribution, proving that we can describe the final semiclassical radiation state as a coherent state at least up to order mathcal{O} (G4) for classical radiative observables. Finally, we give general arguments about why we expect this to hold also at higher orders in perturbation theory.

All-order quartic couplings in highly symmetric D-brane-anti-D-brane systems

We compute six-point string amplitudes for the scattering of one closed string Ramond-Ramond state, two tachyons and two gauge fields in the worldvolume of D-brane-anti-D-brane systems in the Type II superstring theories. From the resulting S-matrix elements, we read off the precise form of the couplings, including their exact numerical coefficients, of two tachyons and two gauge fields in the corresponding highly symmetric effective field eheory (EFT) Lagrangian in the worldvolume of D-brane-Anti-D-brane to all orders in α′, which modify and complete previous proposals. We verify that the EFT reproduces the infinite collection of stringy gauge field singularities in dual channels. Inspired by interesting similarities between the all-order highly symmetric EFTs and holographic duals of Vasiliev’s higher spin gravities à là Nilsson and Vasiliev, we make a proposal for tensionless limits of D-brane-anti-D-brane systems.

On the N-pion extension of the Lovelace-Shapiro model

We reconsider a modification of the N-point amplitude of the Neveu-Schwarz (NS) model in which the tachyon becomes a pion by shifting its mass to zero and keeping the super-projective invariance of the integrand of the amplitude. For the scattering of four particles it reduces to the amplitude written by Lovelace and Shapiro that has Adler zeroes. We confirm that also the N-pion amplitude has Adler zeroes and show that it reduces to that of the non-linear σ-model for α′ → 0 keeping Fπ fixed. The four- and six-point flavour-ordered amplitudes satisfy tree-level unitarity since they can be derived from the correspondent amplitudes of the NS model in ten dimensions by suitably choosing the components of the momenta of the external mesons in the six extra dimensions. Negative norm states (ghosts) are shown to appear instead in higher-point amplitudes. We also discuss several amplitudes involving different external mesons.

Mathcal{N} = 7 On-shell diagrams and supergravity amplitudes in momentum twistor space

We derive an on-shell diagram recursion for tree-level scattering amplitudes in mathcal{N} = 7 supergravity. The diagrams are evaluated in terms of Grassmannian integrals and momentum twistors, generalising previous results of Hodges in momentum twistor space to non-MHV amplitudes. In particular, we recast five and six-point NMHV amplitudes in terms of mathcal{N} = 7 R-invariants analogous to those of mathcal{N} = 4 super-Yang-Mills, which makes cancellation of spurious poles more transparent. Above 5-points, this requires defining momentum twistors with respect to different orderings of the external momenta.

Full color two-loop six-gluon all-plus helicity amplitude

We present the full color two-loop six-point all-plus Yang-Mills amplitude in compact analytic form. The computation uses four dimensional unitarity and augmented recursion.

On all-order higher-point Dp–D̄p̄ effective actions

In this paper we derive a class of contributions to all orders in α′ to the effective action of D-brane-anti D-brane systems in Type II String Theory, considering an amplitude involving a closed-string Ramond-Ramond state and four open-string states: two tachyons, a scalar and a gauge boson. This type of amplitude arises in both Type IIA and Type IIB strings, and reveals a number of new effective couplings. Furthermore, we derive a series representation for the result that goes beyond a factorized limit that was recently studied, and which is expected to apply to more general six-point amplitudes of superstrings, including external fermions.

Extracting analytical one-loop amplitudes from numerical evaluations

In this article we present a method to generate analytic expressions for the integral coefficients of loop amplitudes using numerical evaluations only. We use highprecision arithmetics to explore the singularity structure of the coefficients and decompose them into parts of manageable complexity. To illustrate the usability of our method we provide analytical expressions for all helicity configurations of the colour-ordered six-point gluon amplitudes at one loop with a gluon in the loop.

The double pentaladder integral to all orders

We compute dual-conformally invariant ladder integrals that are capped off by pentagons at each end of the ladder. Such integrals appear in six-point amplitudes in planar mathcal{N} = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory. We provide exact, finite-coupling formulas for the basic double pentaladder integrals as a single Mellin integral over hypergeometric functions. For particular choices of the dual conformal cross ratios, we can evaluate the integral at weak coupling to high loop orders in terms of multiple polylogarithms. We argue that the integrals are exponentially suppressed at strong coupling. We describe the space of functions that contains all such double pentaladder integrals and their derivatives, or coproducts. This space, a prototype for the space of Steinmann hexagon functions, has a simple algebraic structure, which we elucidate by considering a particular discontinuity of the functions that localizes the Mellin integral and collapses the relevant symbol alphabet. This function space is endowed with a coaction, both perturbatively and at finite coupling, which mixes the independent solutions of the hypergeometric differential equation and constructively realizes a coaction principle of the type believed to hold in the full Steinmann hexagon function space.

Multi-loop positivity of the planar mathcal{N} = 4 SYM six-point amplitude

We study the six-point NMHV ratio function in planar mathcal{N} = 4 SYM theory in the context of positive geometry. The Amplituhedron construction of the integrand for the amplitudes provides a kinematical region in which the integrand was observed to be positive. It is natural to conjecture that this property survives integration, i.e. that the final result for the ratio function is also positive in this region. Establishing such a result would imply that preserving positivity is a surprising property of the Minkowski contour of integration and it might indicate some deeper underlying structure. We find that the ratio function is positive everywhere we have tested it, including analytic results for special kinematical regions at one and two loops, as well as robust numerical evidence through five loops. There is also evidence for not just positivity, but monotonicity in a “radial” direction. We also investigate positivity of the MHV six-gluon amplitude. While the remainder function ceases to be positive at four loops, the BDS-like normalized MHV amplitude appears to be positive through five loops.

N=4 supergravity next-to-maximally-helicity-violating six-point one-loop amplitude

We construct the six-point NMHV one-loop amplitude in ${\cal N}=4$ supergravity using unitarity and recursion. The use of recursion requires the introduction of rational descendants of the cut-constructible pieces of the amplitude and the computation of the non-standard factorisation terms arising from the loop integrals.

Resumming the POPE at one loop

The Pentagon Operator Product Expansion represents polygonal Wilson loops in planar $$ \mathcal{N}=4 $$ super Yang-Mills in terms of a series of flux tube excitations for finite coupling. We demonstrate how to re-sum this series at the one loop level for the hexagonal Wilson loop dual to the six-point MHV amplitude. By summing over a series of effective excitations we find expressions which integrate to logarithms and polylogarithms, reproducing the known one-loop result.

Two-Loop Six Gluon All-Plus Helicity Amplitude.

We present an analytic expression for the six-point all-plus helicity amplitude in QCD at two loops. We compute the rational terms in a compact analytic form organized by their singularity structure.

All orders results for self-crossing Wilson loops mimicking double parton scattering

Loop-level scattering amplitudes for massless particles have singularities in regions where tree amplitudes are perfectly smooth. For example, a 2 → 4 gluon scattering process has a singularity in which each incoming gluon splits into a pair of gluons, followed by a pair of 2 → 2 collisions between the gluon pairs. This singularity mimics double parton scattering because it occurs when the transverse momentum of a pair of outgoing gluons vanishes. The singularity is logarithmic at fixed order in perturbation theory. We exploit the duality between scattering amplitudes and polygonal Wilson loops to study six-point amplitudes in this limit to high loop order in planar $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory. The singular configuration corresponds to the limit in which a hexagonal Wilson loop develops a self-crossing. The singular terms are governed by an evolution equation, in which the hexagon mixes into a pair of boxes; the mixing back is suppressed in the planar (large N c) limit. Because the kinematic dependence of the box Wilson loops is dictated by (dual) conformal invariance, the complete kinematic dependence of the singular terms for the self-crossing hexagon on the one nonsingular variable is determined to all loop orders. The complete logarithmic dependence on the singular variable can be obtained through nine loops, up to a couple of constants, using a correspondence with the multi-Regge limit. As a byproduct, we obtain a simple formula for the leading logs to all loop orders. We also show that, although the MHV six-gluon amplitude is singular, remarkably, the transcendental functions entering the non-MHV amplitude are finite in the same limit, at least through four loops.

One-loop superstring six-point amplitudes and anomalies in pure spinor superspace

We present the massless six-point one-loop amplitudes in the open and closed superstring using BRST cohomology arguments from the pure spinor formalism. The hexagon gauge anomaly is traced back to a class of kinematic factors in pure spinor superspace which were recently introduced as BRST pseudo-invariants. This complements previous work where BRST invariance arguments were used to derive the non-anomalous part of the amplitude. The associated worldsheet functions are non-singular and demonstrated to yield total derivatives on moduli space upon gauge variation. These cohomology considerations yield an efficient organizing principle for closed-string amplitudes that match expectations from S-duality in the low-energy limit.