arXiv subjects

Freddy Cachazo

Publications and source records attributed to Freddy Cachazo.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Scattering Equations and KLT Orthogonality

Several recent developments point to the fact that rational maps from n-punctured spheres to the null cone of D dimensional momentum space provide a natural language for describing the scattering of massless particles in D dimensions. In this note we identify and study equations relating the kinematic invariants and the puncture locations, which we call the scattering equations. We provide an inductive algorithm in the number of particles for their solutions and prove a remarkable property which we call KLT Orthogonality. In a nutshell, KLT orthogonality means that "Parke-Taylor" vectors constructed from the solutions to the scattering equations are mutually orthogonal with respect to the Kawai-Lewellen-Tye (KLT) bilinear form. We end with comments on possible connections to gauge theory and gravity amplitudes in any dimension and to the high-energy limit of string theory amplitudes.

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arXiv2013

Scattering in Three Dimensions from Rational Maps

The complete tree-level S-matrix of four dimensional ${\cal N}=4$ super Yang-Mills and ${\cal N} = 8$ supergravity has compact forms as integrals over the moduli space of certain rational maps. In this note we derive formulas for amplitudes in three dimensions by using the fact that when amplitudes are dressed with proper wave functions dimensional reduction becomes straightforward. This procedure leads to formulas in terms of rational maps for three dimensional maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills and gravity theories. The integrand of the new formulas contains three basic structures: Parke-Taylor-like factors, Vandermonde determinants and resultants. Integrating out some of the Grassmann directions produces formulas for theories with less than maximal supersymmetry, which exposes yet a fourth kind of structure. Combining all four basic structures we start a search for consistent S-matrices in three dimensions. Very nicely, the most natural ones are those corresponding to ABJM and BLG theories. We also make a connection between the power of a resultant in the integrand, representations of the Poincaré group, infrared behavior and conformality of a theory. Extensions to other theories in three dimensions and to arbitrary dimensions are also discussed.

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arXiv2013

Resultants and Gravity Amplitudes

Two very different formulations of the tree-level S-matrix of N=8 Einstein supergravity in terms of rational maps are known to exist. In both formulations, the computation of a scattering amplitude of n particles in the k R-charge sector involves an integral over the moduli space of certain holomorphic maps of degree d=k-1. In this paper we show that both formulations can be simplified when written in a manifestly parity invariant form as integrals over holomorphic maps of bi-degree (d,n-d-2). In one formulation the full integrand becomes directly the product of the resultants of each of the two maps defining the one of bi-degree (d,n-d-2). In the second formulation, a very different structure appears. The integrand contains the determinant of a (n-3)x(n-3) matrix and a 'Jacobian'. We prove that the determinant is a polynomial in the coefficients of the maps and contains the two resultants as factors.

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arXiv2012

Gravity from Rational Curves

This paper presents a new formula which is conjectured to yield all tree amplitudes in N=8 supergravity. The amplitudes are described in terms of higher degree rational maps to twistor space. The resulting expression has manifest N=8 supersymmetry and is manifestly permutation symmetric in all external states. It depends monomially on the infinity twistor that explicitly breaks conformal symmetry to Poincare. The formula has been explicitly checked to yield the correct amplitudes for the 3-point MHV-bar and for the n-point MHV, where it reduces to an expression of Hodges. We have also carried out numerical checks of the formula at NMHV and NNMHV level, for up to eight external states.

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arXiv2012

A "Twistor String" Inspired Formula For Tree-Level Scattering Amplitudes in N=8 SUGRA

We propose a new formulation of the complete tree-level S-matrix of N = 8 supergravity. The new formula for n particles in the k R-charge sector is an integral over the Grassmannian G(2,n) and uses the Veronese map into G(k,n). The image of a point in G(2,n) is required to be in the "complement" of a 2|8-plane thus making the SU(8) R-symmetry manifest. The integrand is the ratio of two determinants. The numerator is an analog of Hodges' recent determinant formula for MHV amplitudes. The denominator is a 2(n+k-2) x 2(n+k-2) minor of a 2(n+k) x 2(n+k) matrix of rank 2(n+k-2). Just as Hodges' formula does for MHV amplitudes, our integrand makes the complete invariance under Sn manifest for all sectors. The validity of the new formula follows from two surprising facts. One is the equivalence of Hodges' MHV formula and the Kawai-Lewellen-Tye (KLT) formula when kinematic invariants are allowed to be off-shell in a novel way. We give a proof of this for any number of particles. The second fact is an orthogonality property of the solutions to the polynomial equations defining the Veronese embedding. Explicit proof of the orthogonality is given for all amplitudes in all R-charge sectors with eight or less particles thus providing non-trivial evidence for our proposal.

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arXiv2012

Fundamental BCJ Relation in N=4 SYM From The Connected Formulation

Tree-level amplitudes in N=4 SYM can be decomposed into partial or color-ordered amplitudes. Identities relating various partial amplitudes have been known since the 80's. They are Kleiss-Kuijf (KK) identities. In 2008, Bern, Carrasco and Johansson (BCJ) introduced a new set of identities which reduce the number of independent partial amplitudes to (n-3)!. In recent years, several formulations for partial amplitudes have been discovered and shown to be equivalent to each other. These can be thought of as simple dualities in the sense that different formulations make manifest different properties of the same object; the amplitude. One such formulation is the ACCK Grassmannian formulation which makes Yangian invariance of individual partial amplitudes manifest. A different formulation is the so-called connected formula introduced by Witten in twistor space and formulated in momentum space by Roiban, Spradlin and Volovich. It has been argued that the connected formula is ideal for studying properties which are related to the full amplitude, such as the KK relations, and not to particular partial amplitudes, like Yangian invariance. Following this logic, it is very natural to expect that the BCJ identities should have a very simple proof in the connected formulation. In this short note we show that this is indeed the case.

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arXiv2010

The All-Loop Integrand For Scattering Amplitudes in Planar N=4 SYM

We give an explicit recursive formula for the all L-loop integrand for scattering amplitudes in N=4 SYM in the planar limit, manifesting the full Yangian symmetry of the theory. This generalizes the BCFW recursion relation for tree amplitudes to all loop orders, and extends the Grassmannian duality for leading singularities to the full amplitude. It also provides a new physical picture for the meaning of loops, associated with canonical operations for removing particles in a Yangian-invariant way. Loop amplitudes arise from the "entangled" removal of pairs of particles, and are naturally presented as an integral over lines in momentum-twistor space. As expected from manifest Yangian-invariance, the integrand is given as a sum over non-local terms, rather than the familiar decomposition in terms of local scalar integrals with rational coefficients. Knowing the integrands explicitly, it is straightforward to express them in local forms if desired; this turns out to be done most naturally using a novel basis of chiral, tensor integrals written in momentum-twistor space, each of which has unit leading singularities. As simple illustrative examples, we present a number of new multi-loop results written in local form, including the 6- and 7-point 2-loop NMHV amplitudes. Very concise expressions are presented for all 2-loop MHV amplitudes, as well as the 5-point 3-loop MHV amplitude. The structure of the loop integrand strongly suggests that the integrals yielding the physical amplitudes are "simple", and determined by IR-anomalies. We briefly comment on extending these ideas to more general planar theories.

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arXiv2010

Unification of Residues and Grassmannian Dualities

The conjectured duality relating all-loop leading singularities of n-particle N^(k-2)MHV scattering amplitudes in N=4 SYM to a simple contour integral over the Grassmannian G(k,n) makes all the symmetries of the theory manifest. Every residue is individually Yangian invariant, but does not have a local space-time interpretation--only a special sum over residues gives physical amplitudes. In this paper we show that the sum over residues giving tree amplitudes can be unified into a single algebraic variety, which we explicitly construct for all NMHV and N^2MHV amplitudes. Remarkably, this allows the contour integral to have a "particle interpretation" in the Grassmannian, where higher-point amplitudes can be constructed from lower-point ones by adding one particle at a time, with soft limits manifest. We move on to show that the connected prescription for tree amplitudes in Witten's twistor string theory also admits a Grassmannian particle interpretation, where the integral over the Grassmannian localizes over the Veronese map from G(2,n) to G(k,n). These apparently very different theories are related by a natural deformation with a parameter t that smoothly interpolates between them. For NMHV amplitudes, we use a simple residue theorem to prove t-independence of the result, thus establishing a novel kind of duality between these theories.

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arXiv2010

Local Spacetime Physics from the Grassmannian

A duality has recently been conjectured between all leading singularities of n-particle N^(k-2)MHV scattering amplitudes in N=4 SYM and the residues of a contour integral with a natural measure over the Grassmannian G(k,n). In this note we show that a simple contour deformation converts the sum of Grassmannian residues associated with the BCFW expansion of NMHV tree amplitudes to the CSW expansion of the same amplitude. We propose that for general k the same deformation yields the (k-2) parameter Risager expansion. We establish this equivalence for all MHV-bar amplitudes and show that the Risager degrees of freedom are non-trivially determined by the GL(k-2) "gauge" degrees of freedom in the Grassmannian. The Risager expansion is known to recursively construct the CSW expansion for all tree amplitudes, and given that the CSW expansion follows directly from the (super) Yang-Mills Lagrangian in light-cone gauge, this contour deformation allows us to directly see the emergence of local space-time physics from the Grassmannian.

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arXiv2010

A Note on Polytopes for Scattering Amplitudes

In this note we continue the exploration of the polytope picture for scattering amplitudes, where amplitudes are associated with the volumes of polytopes in generalized momentum-twistor spaces. After a quick warm-up example illustrating the essential ideas with the elementary geometry of polygons in CP^2, we interpret the 1-loop MHV integrand as the volume of a polytope in CP^3x CP^3, which can be thought of as the space obtained by taking the geometric dual of the Wilson loop in each CP^3 of the product. We then review the polytope picture for the NMHV tree amplitude and give it a more direct and intrinsic definition as the geometric dual of a canonical "square" of the Wilson-Loop polygon, living in a certain extension of momentum-twistor space into CP^4. In both cases, one natural class of triangulations of the polytope produces the BCFW/CSW representations of the amplitudes; another class of triangulations leads to a striking new form, which is both remarkably simple as well as manifestly cyclic and local.

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arXiv2010

Local Integrals for Planar Scattering Amplitudes

Recently, an explicit, recursive formula for the all-loop integrand of planar scattering amplitudes in N=4 SYM has been described, generalizing the BCFW formula for tree amplitudes, and making manifest the Yangian symmetry of the theory. This has made it possible to easily study the structure of multi-loop amplitudes in the theory. In this paper we describe a remarkable fact revealed by these investigations: the integrand can be expressed in an amazingly simple and manifestly local form when represented in momentum-twistor space using a set of chiral integrals with unit leading singularities. As examples, we present very-concise expressions for all 2- and 3-loop MHV integrands, as well as all 2-loop NMHV integrands. We also describe a natural set of manifestly IR-finite integrals that can be used to express IR-safe objects such as the ratio function. Along the way we give a pedagogical introduction to the foundations of the subject. The new local forms of the integrand are closely connected to leading singularities---matching only a small subset of all leading singularities remarkably suffices to determine the full integrand. These results strongly suggest the existence of a theory for the integrand directly yielding these local expressions, allowing for a more direct understanding of the emergence of local spacetime physics.

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arXiv2010

What is the Simplest Quantum Field Theory?

Conventional wisdom says that the simpler the Lagrangian of a theory the simpler its perturbation theory, but an increased understanding of the structure of the S-matrix in gauge theories and gravity has been pointing to the opposite conclusion. In this paper we suggest that N=8 SUGRA has the simplest interacting S-matrix in 4D. Using Grassmann coherent states for external particles shows that amplitudes with maximal SUSY are smooth objects, with the action of SUSY manifest. We show that all tree amplitudes in N=4 SYM and N=8 SUGRA vanish at (supersymmetric) infinite complex momentum, and can thus be determined by recursion relations. We also identify the action of the non-linearly realized E_{7(7)} symmetry of N=8 SUGRA on scattering amplitudes. We give a simple discussion of the structure of 1-loop amplitudes in any QFT, in close parallel to recent work of Forde, showing that the coefficients of scalar "triangle" and "bubble" integrals are determined by the "pole at infinite momentum" of tree amplitude products appearing in cuts. The on-shell superspace for maximal SUSY makes it easy to compute the multiplet sums that arise in these cuts, leading to a simple proof of the absence of triangles and bubbles at 1-loop. We also argue that rational terms are absent. This establishes the recent conjecture that 1-loop amplitudes in N=8 SUGRA have only scalar box integrals, just as N=4 SYM. It is natural to conjecture that with maximal SUSY, amplitudes are completely determined by their leading singularities even beyond tree- and 1-loop level; this would directly imply the perturbative finiteness of N=8 SUGRA. The remarkable properties of scattering amplitudes call for an explanation in terms of a "weak-weak" dual formulation of QFT, a holographic dual of flat space.

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arXiv2009

The Grassmannian Origin Of Dual Superconformal Invariance

A dual formulation of the S Matrix for N=4 SYM has recently been presented, where all leading singularities of n-particle N^{k-2}MHV amplitudes are given as an integral over the Grassmannian G(k,n), with cyclic symmetry, parity and superconformal invariance manifest. In this short note we show that the dual superconformal invariance of this object is also manifest. The geometry naturally suggests a partial integration and simple change of variable to an integral over G(k-2,n). This change of variable precisely corresponds to the mapping between usual momentum variables and the "momentum twistors" introduced by Hodges, and yields an elementary derivation of the momentum-twistor space formula very recently presented by Mason and Skinner, which is manifestly dual superconformal invariant. Thus the G(k,n) Grassmannian formulation allows a direct understanding of all the important symmetries of N=4 SYM scattering amplitudes.

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arXiv2009

A Duality For The S Matrix

We propose a dual formulation for the S Matrix of N = 4 SYM. The dual provides a basis for the "leading singularities" of scattering amplitudes to all orders in perturbation theory, which are sharply defined, IR safe data that uniquely determine the full amplitudes at tree level and 1-loop, and are conjectured to do so at all loop orders. The scattering amplitude for n particles in the sector with k negative helicity gluons is associated with a simple integral over the space of k planes in n dimensions, with the action of parity and cyclic symmetries manifest. The residues of the integrand compute a basis for the leading singularities. A given leading singularity is associated with a particular choice of integration contour, which we explicitly identify at tree level and 1-loop for all NMHV amplitudes as well as the 8 particle NNMHV amplitude. We also identify a number of 2-loop leading singularities for up to 8 particles. There are a large number of relations among residues which follow from the multi-variable generalization of Cauchy's theorem known as the "global residue theorem". These relations imply highly non-trivial identities guaranteeing the equivalence of many different representations of the same amplitude. They also enforce the cancellation of non-local poles as well as consistent infrared structure at loop level. Our conjecture connects the physics of scattering amplitudes to a particular subvariety in a Grassmannian; space-time locality is reflected in the topological properties of this space.

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arXiv2009

The S-Matrix in Twistor Space

The simplicity and hidden symmetries of (Super) Yang-Mills and (Super)Gravity scattering amplitudes suggest the existence of a "weak-weak" dual formulation in which these structures are made manifest at the expense of manifest locality. We suggest that this dual description lives in (2,2) signature and is naturally formulated in twistor space. We recast the BCFW recursion relations in an on-shell form that begs to be transformed into twistor space. Our twistor transformation is inspired by Witten's, but differs in treating twistor and dual twistor variables more equally. In these variables the three and four-point amplitudes are amazingly simple; the BCFW relations are represented by diagrammatic rules that precisely define the "twistor diagrams" of Andrew Hodges. The "Hodges diagrams" for Yang-Mills theory are disks and not trees; they reveal striking connections between amplitudes and suggest a new form for them in momentum space. We also obtain a twistorial formulation of gravity. All tree amplitudes can be combined into an "S-Matrix" functional which is the natural holographic observable in asymptotically flat space; the BCFW formula turns into a quadratic equation for this "S-Matrix", providing a holographic description of N=4 SYM and N=8 Supergravity at tree level. We explore loop amplitudes in (2,2) signature and twistor space, beginning with a discussion of IR behavior. We find that the natural pole prescription renders the amplitudes well-defined and free of IR divergences. Loop amplitudes vanish for generic momenta, and in twistor space are even simpler than their tree-level counterparts! This further supports the idea that there exists a sharply defined object corresponding to the S-Matrix in (2,2) signature, computed by a dual theory naturally living in twistor space.

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arXiv2009

Leading Singularities of the Two-Loop Six-Particle MHV Amplitude

We use the leading singularity technique to determine the planar six-particle two-loop MHV amplitude in N=4 super Yang-Mills in terms of a simple basis of integrals. Our result for the parity even part of the amplitude agrees with the one recently presented in arXiv:0803.1465. The parity-odd part of the amplitude is a new result. The leading singularity technique reduces the determination of the amplitude to finding the solution to a system of linear equations. The system of equations is easily found by computing residues. We present the complete system of equations which determines the whole amplitude, and solve the two-by-two blocks analytically. Larger blocks are solved numerically in order to test the ABDK/BDS iterative structure.

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arXiv2008

Taming Tree Amplitudes In General Relativity

We give a proof of BCFW recursion relations for all tree-level amplitudes of gravitons in General Relativity. The proof follows the same basic steps as in the BCFW construction and it is an extension of the one given for next-to-MHV amplitudes by one of the authors and P. Svrček in hep-th/0502160. The main obstacle to overcome is to prove that deformed graviton amplitudes vanish as the complex variable parameterizing the deformation is taken to infinity. This step is done by first proving an auxiliary recursion relation where the vanishing at infinity follows directly from a Feynman diagram analysis. The auxiliary recursion relation gives rise to a representation of gravity amplitudes where the vanishing under the BCFW deformation can be directly proven. Since all our steps are based only on Feynman diagrams, our proof completely establishes the validity of BCFW recursion relations. This means that many results in the literature that were derived assuming their validity become true statements.

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arXiv2008

Sharpening The Leading Singularity

We show how studying leading singularities of Feynman diagrams, when all momenta are complex, gives a simple way of writing multi-loop and multi-particle scattering amplitudes in N=4 super Yang-Mills. The simplicity of the method is equivalent to that of the quadruple cut technique introduced in hep-th/0412103 at one-loop. The new technique only involves the computation of residues and the solution of linear equations. In our technique both parity even and parity odd pieces of a coefficient are computed simultaneously and it is only at the end that a separation can be made if desired. We explain the procedure via examples. The main example, which we compute in detail, is the five-particle two-loop amplitude first given in hep-th/0604074. Another feature of our method is that the helicity structure of the amplitude only enters in the inhomogeneous part of the linear equations. In other words, the homogeneous part is universal. We illustrate this feature by presenting the linear equations which determine a large class of terms for MHV and next-to-MHV six-particle two-loop amplitudes.

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