arXiv subjects

Barak Kol

Publications and source records attributed to Barak Kol.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

1-loop Color structures and sunny diagrams

Recently the space of tree level color structures for gluon scattering was determined in arXiv:1403.6837 together with its transformation properties under permutations. Here we generalize the discussion to loops, demonstrating a reduction of an arbitrary color diagram to its vacuum skeleton plus rays. For 1-loop there are no residual relations and we determine the space of color structures both diagrammatically and algebraically in terms of certain sunny diagrams. We present the generating function for the characteristic polynomials and a list of irreducible representations for $3 \le n \le 9$ external legs. Finally we present a new proof for the 1-loop shuffle relations based on the cyclic shuffle and split operations.

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arXiv2017

The vacuum seagull: evaluating a 3-loop Feynman diagram with 3 mass scales

We study a 3-loop 5-propagator Feynman Integral, which we call the vacuum seagull, with arbitrary masses and spacetime dimension using the Symmetries of Feynman Integrals method. It is our first example with potential numerators. We determine the associated group $G \subset GL(3)$ which happens to be 5 dimensional and the associated set of 5 differential equations. $G$ is determined by a geometric approach which we term "current freedom". We find the generic $G$-orbit to be co-dimension 0 and hence the method is maximally effective, and the diagram reduces to a line integral over simpler diagrams. For a reduced parameter space with 3 mass scales we are able to present explicit results in terms of special functions. This might be the first such example.

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arXiv2016

The algebraic locus of Feynman integrals

In the Symmetries of Feynman Integrals (SFI) approach, a diagram's parameter space is foliated by orbits of a Lie group associated with the diagram. SFI is related to the important methods of Integrations By Parts and of Differential Equations. It is shown that sometimes there exist a locus in parameter space where the set of SFI differential equations degenerates into an algebraic equation, thereby enabling a solution in terms of integrals associated with degenerations of the diagram. This is demonstrated by the two-loop vacuum diagram, where the algebraic locus can be interpreted as a threshold phenomenon and is given by the zeros of the Baikov polynomial. In addition, the symmetry group is interpreted geometrically as linear transformations of loop currents which preserve the subspace of squared currents within the space of quadratics in loop currents.

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arXiv2015

Theory of post-Newtonian radiation and reaction

We address issues with extant formulations of dissipative effects in the effective field theory (EFT) which describes the post-Newtonian (PN) inspiral of two gravitating bodies by (re)formulating several parts of the theory. Novel ingredients include gauge invariant spherical fields in the radiation zone; a system zone which preserves time reversal such that its violation arises not from local odd propagation but rather from interaction with the radiation sector in a way which resembles the balayage method; 2-way multipoles to perform zone matching within the EFT action; and a double-field radiation-reaction action which is the non-quantum version of the Closed Time Path formalism and generalizes to any theory with directed propagators including theories which are defined by equations of motion rather than an action. This formulation unifies the treatment of outgoing radiation and its reaction force. We demonstrate the theory in the scalar, electromagnetic and gravitational cases by economizing the following: the expression for the radiation source multipoles; the derivation of the leading outgoing radiation and associated reaction force such that it is maximally reduced to mere multiplication; and the derivation of the gravitational next to leading PN order. In fact we present a novel expression for the +1PN correction to all mass multipoles. We introduce useful definitions for multi-index summation, for the normalization of Bessel functions and for the normalization of the gravito-magnetic vector potential.

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arXiv2015

Symmetries of Feynman integrals and the Integration By Parts method

Integration By Parts (IBP) is an important method for computing Feynman integrals. This work describes a formulation of the theory involving a set of differential equations in parameter space, and especially the definition and study of an associated Lie group G. The group acts on parameter space and foliates it into G-orbits. The differential equations essentially provide the gradient of the integral within the orbit in terms of integrals associated with degenerate diagrams. In this way the computation of a Feynman integral at a general point in parameter space is reduced to the evaluation of the Feynman integral at some freely chosen base point on the same orbit, together with a line integral inside the G-orbit and the degenerate integrals along the path. This paper restricts to vacuum diagrams and integrals without numerators, but the method is expected to generalize. The method is demonstrated by application to the two-loop vacuum diagram. A relation between the reducibility of a diagram though IBP and the reducibility of the associated electric circuit though the Y-Delta transform is speculated.

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arXiv2014

Color structures and permutations

Color structures for tree level scattering amplitudes in gauge theory are studied in order to determine the symmetry properties of the color-ordered sub-amplitudes. We mathematically formulate the space of color structures together with the action of permuting external legs. The character generating functions are presented from the mathematical literature and we determine the decomposition into irreducible representations. Mathematically, free Lie algebras and the Lie operad are central. A study of the implications for sub-amplitudes is initiated and we prove directly that both the Parke-Taylor amplitudes and Cachazo-He-Yuan amplitudes satisfy the Kleiss-Kuijf relations.

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arXiv2014

Leading anomalies, the drift Hamiltonian and the relativistic two-body system

We suggest to solve for the motion of the two body problem in General Relativity by identifying the leading violation of conserved quantities, referred to as (relativistic) anomalies, ordered by the post-Newtonian order at which they appear. This differs from the standard procedure of obtaining the full solution up to a prescribed order. We find that the reduced Hamiltonian which describes the drift in the space of conserved quantities is given by the average of the perturbation Hamiltonian. Using this approach the averaging is done prior to the derivation of time evolution, thereby economizing the computation. The computations become similar to those in the Hamilton-Jacobi method, while staying in the more comfortable setting of the Hamiltonian formulation. We apply this approach of leading anomalies and the drift Hamiltonian to the binary problem and treat several perturbations: 1PN, spin-orbit and spin-spin. On the way we discuss the interpretation of the Laplace-Runge-Lenz vector as a generator of scale-preserving conformal transformations in momentum space.

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arXiv2014

Perturbative gauge theory and 2+2=4

The group $S_4$ of permutations on four elements has an irreducible representation corresponding to the partition 4=2+2. This representation appears in several different mathematical contexts: the Jacobi identity of Lie algebras; the Schouten identity for spinors; differences and the cross ratio in the projective plane; the Grassmannian space of 2-planes in linear algebra; the Riemann tensor in differential geometry; and more. We observe that all these occurrences are connected through perturbative non-abelian gauge theory, thereby acting as a leitmotif.

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arXiv2014

Radiation reaction at the level of the action

The aim of this paper is to highlight a recently proposed method for the treatment of classical radiative effects, in particular radiation reaction, via effective field theory methods. We emphasize important features of the method, and in particular the doubling of fields. We apply the method to two simple systems: for the mass-rope system in 1+1 dimensions we derive an effective action for the mass which describes a damped harmonic oscillator, while for the electromagnetic charge-field system, i.e. the system of an accelerating electric charge in 3+1 d, we derive the leading Abraham-Lorentz-Dirac force.

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arXiv2013

Self force from equivalent periodic sources

Considering the self force and radiation due to a small body in orbit (especially aperiodic) around a black hole, this paper defines a decomposition of the source into a sum over the shape preserving periodic motions of extended objects defined here consisting of ensembles of freely falling point particles. The stationary component is found to be within the conservative sector. Self-force computation throughout a specified trajectory reduces to solving one spatial partial differential equation (PDE) and a series of PDE's with periodic time. Regularization is alleviated due to the sources' extended nature. A regularization method is suggested inspired by the type present in electrostatics with surface or other singular sources.

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arXiv2013

Classical 3-loop 2-body diagrams

As part of the study of the two-body problem in Einstein's gravity, the fourth post-Newtonian order (4PN) of the two-body effective action is being computed presently by both effective field theory (EFT) methods and others. Diagrams with 3 (or 4) classical loops appear to be a significant obstacle. In this paper we develop a method to compute such 3-loop diagrams and demonstrate it through a specific diagram. We reduce the classical diagrams through shrinking the body worldlines to a form more familiar in Quantum Field Theory. A key ingredient in the evaluation is the Integration By Parts method for Feynman integrals.

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arXiv2011

Black hole stereotyping: Induced gravito-static polarization

We discuss the black hole effective action and define its static subsector. We determine the induced gravito-static polarization constants (electric Love numbers) of static black holes (Schwarzschild) in an arbitrary dimension, namely the induced mass multipole as a result of an external gravitational field. We demonstrate that in 4d these constants vanish thereby settling a disagreement in the literature. Yet in higher dimensions these constants are non-vanishing, thereby disproving (at least in d>4) speculations that black holes have no effective couplings beyond the point particle action. In particular, when l/(d-3) is half integral these constants demonstrate a (classical) renormalization flow consistent with the divergences of the effective field theory. In some other cases the constants are negative indicating a novel non-spherical instability. The theory of hypergeometric functions plays a central role.

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arXiv2011

Classical Effective Field Theory for Weak Ultra Relativistic Scattering

Inspired by the problem of Planckian scattering we describe a classical effective field theory for weak ultra relativistic scattering in which field propagation is instantaneous and transverse and the particles' equations of motion localize to the instant of passing. An analogy with the non-relativistic (post-Newtonian) approximation is stressed. The small parameter is identified and power counting rules are established. The theory is applied to reproduce the leading scattering angle for either a scalar interaction field or electro-magnetic or gravitational; to compute some subleading corrections, including the interaction duration; and to allow for non-zero masses. For the gravitational case we present an appropriate decomposition of the gravitational field onto the transverse plane together with its whole non-linear action. On the way we touch upon the relation with the eikonal approximation, some evidence for censorship of quantum gravity, and an algebraic ring structure on 2d Minkowski spacetime.

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arXiv2011

Einstein's action and the harmonic gauge in terms of Newtonian fields

The "Newtonian" or non-relativistic decomposition of Einstein's gravitational field is useful in the post-Newtonian approximation. We obtain the full non-quadratic Einstein-Hilbert action in terms of these fields as well as the harmonic gauge fixing term and find fairly simple expressions. We discuss alternatives to the harmonic gauge.

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arXiv2011

Comparing space+time decompositions in the post-Newtonian limit

The relationship between the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner (ADM) field decomposition and the non-relativistic gravitational (NRG) fields attracted considerable interest recently. This paper compares the two, especially with respect to computing the two-body post-Newtonian (PN) effective action within the effective field theory (EFT) approach. Both are space+time decompositions and hence do better than using the standard metric. However, ADM is essentially a reduction over space whereas NRG is essentially a reduction over time. We use a variant of ADM which is linearly equivalent to NRG and the two are identical at order 1PN. We compare the two at order 2PN and find that ADM requires the computation of an additional Feynman diagram. We argue that the computational excess will further increase at higher orders.

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arXiv2011

Comparing numerical and analytical calculations of post-ISCO ringdown amplitudes

We numerically compute the ringdown amplitudes following the plunge of a particle from the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) of a Schwarzschild black hole in the extreme-mass ratio limit. We show that the ringdown amplitudes computed in this way are in good agreement with a recent analytical calculation arXiv:0911.3899.

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arXiv2011

Post-ISCO Ringdown Amplitudes in Extreme Mass Ratio Inspiral

An extreme mass ratio inspiral consists of two parts: adiabatic inspiral and plunge. The plunge trajectory from the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) is special (somewhat independent of initial conditions). We write an expression for its solution in closed-form and for the emitted waveform. In particular we extract an expression for the associated black-hole ringdown amplitudes, and evaluate them numerically.

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arXiv2011

The Fields of Ultra-Relativistic Gravitation

In order to facilitate the study of weak ultra-relativistic (and Planckian) scattering we present an appropriate decomposition of the gravitational field together with its whole non-linear action. More generally the results apply to any reduction over a non-degenerate spacetime fiber.

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