Identifying regions in wide-angle scattering via graph-theoretical approaches

Abstract

The method of regions, which provides a systematic approach for computing Feynman integrals involving multiple kinematic scales, proposes that a Feynman integral can be approximated and even reproduced by summing over integrals expanded in certain regions. A modern perspective of the method of regions considers any given Feynman integral as a specific Newton polytope, defined as the convex hull of the points associated with Symanzik polynomials. The regions then correspond one-to-one with the lower facets of this polytope. As Symanzik polynomials correspond to the spanning trees and spanning 2-trees of the Feynman graph, a graph-theoretical study of these polynomials may allow us to identify the complete set of regions for a given expansion. In this work, our primary focus is on three specific expansions: the on-shell expansion of generic wide-angle scattering, the soft expansion of generic wide-angle scattering, and the mass expansion of heavy-to-light decay. For each of these expansions, we employ graph-theoretical approaches to derive the generic forms of the regions involved in the method of regions. The results, applicable to all orders, offer insights that can be leveraged to investigate various aspects of scattering amplitudes.