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Johannes Henn

Publications and source records attributed to Johannes Henn.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2022

A first look at the function space for planar two-loop six-particle Feynman integrals

Two-loop corrections to scattering amplitudes are crucial theoretical input for collider physics. Recent years have seen tremendous advances in computing Feynman integrals, scattering amplitudes, and cross sections for five-particle processes. In this paper, we initiate the study of the function space for planar two-loop six-particle processes. We study all genuine six-particle Feynman integrals, and derive the differential equations they satisfy on maximal cuts. Performing a leading singularity analysis in momentum space, and in Baikov representation, we find an integral basis that puts the differential equations into canonical form. The corresponding differential equation in the eight independent kinematic variables is derived with the finite-field reconstruction method and the symbol letters are identified. We identify the dual conformally invariant hexagon alphabet known from maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory as a subset of our alphabet. This paper constitutes an important step in the analytic calculation of planar two-loop six-particle Feynman integrals.

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arXiv2021

Nonperturbative Negative Geometries: Amplitudes at Strong Coupling and the Amplituhedron

The amplituhedron determines scattering amplitudes in planar ${\cal N}=4$ super Yang-Mills by a single "positive geometry" in the space of kinematic and loop variables. We study a closely related definition of the amplituhedron for the simplest case of four-particle scattering, given as a sum over complementary "negative geometries", which provides a natural geometric understanding of the exponentiation of infrared (IR) divergences, as well as a new geometric definition of an IR finite observable ${\cal F}(g,z)$ - dually interpreted as the expectation value of the null polygonal Wilson loop with a single Lagrangian insertion - which is directly determined by these negative geometries. This provides a long-sought direct link between canonical forms for positive (negative) geometries, and a completely IR finite post-loop-integration observable depending on a single kinematical variable $z$, from which the cusp anomalous dimension $Γ_{\rm cusp}(g)$ can also be straightforwardly obtained. We study an especially simple class of negative geometries at all loop orders, associated with a "tree" structure in the negativity conditions, for which the contributions to ${\cal F}(g,z)$ and $Γ_{\rm cusp}$ can easily be determined by an interesting non-linear differential equation immediately following from the combinatorics of negative geometries. This lets us compute these "tree" contributions to ${\cal F}(g,z)$ and $Γ_{\rm cusp}$ for all values of the 't Hooft coupling. The result for $Γ_{\rm cusp}$ remarkably shares all main qualitative characteristics of the known exact results obtained using integrability.

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arXiv2021

Virtual QCD corrections to gluon-initiated diphoton plus jet production at hadron colliders

We present an analytic computation of the gluon-initiated contribution to diphoton plus jet production at hadron colliders up to two loops in QCD. We reconstruct the analytic form of the finite remainders from numerical evaluations over finite fields including all colour contributions. Compact expressions are found using the pentagon function basis. We provide a fast and stable implementation for the colour- and helicity-summed interference between the one-loop and two-loop finite remainders in C++ as part of the NJet library.

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arXiv2020

Multi-Regge Limit of the Two-Loop Five-Point Amplitudes in $\mathcal{N} = 4$ Super Yang-Mills and $\mathcal{N} = 8$ Supergravity

In previous work, the two-loop five-point amplitudes in $\mathcal{N}=4$ super Yang-Mills theory and $\mathcal{N}=8$ supergravity were computed at symbol level. In this paper, we compute the full functional form. The amplitudes are assembled and simplified using the analytic expressions of the two-loop pentagon integrals in the physical scattering region. We provide the explicit functional expressions, and a numerical reference point in the scattering region. We then calculate the multi-Regge limit of both amplitudes. The result is written in terms of an explicit transcendental function basis. For certain non-planar colour structures of the $\mathcal{N}=4$ super Yang-Mills amplitude, we perform an independent calculation based on the BFKL effective theory. We find perfect agreement. We comment on the analytic properties of the amplitudes.

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arXiv2020

Constructing d-log integrands and computing master integrals for three-loop four-particle scattering

We compute all master integrals for massless three-loop four-particle scattering amplitudes required for processes like di-jet or di-photon production at the LHC. We present our result in terms of a Laurent expansion of the integrals in the dimensional regulator up to 8$^{\text{th}}$ power, with coefficients expressed in terms of harmonic polylogarithms. As a basis of master integrals we choose integrals with integrands that only have logarithmic poles - called $d$log forms. This choice greatly facilitates the subsequent computation via the method of differential equations. We detail how this basis is obtained via an improved algorithm originally developed by one of the authors. We provide a public implementation of this algorithm. We explain how the algorithm is naturally applied in the context of unitarity. In addition, we classify our $d$log forms according to their soft and collinear properties.

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arXiv2020

Deriving canonical differential equations for Feynman integrals from a single uniform weight integral

Differential equations are a powerful tool for evaluating Feynman integrals. Their solution is straightforward if a transformation to a canonical form is found. In this paper, we present an algorithm for finding such a transformation. This novel technique is based on a method due to Hoschele et al. and relies only on the knowledge of a single integral of uniform transcendental weight. As a corollary, the algorithm can also be used to test the uniform transcendentality of a given integral. We discuss the application to several cutting-edge examples, including non-planar four-loop HQET and non-planar two-loop five-point integrals. A Mathematica implementation of our algorithm is made available together with this paper.

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arXiv2020

Four-particle scattering amplitudes in QCD at NNLO to higher orders in the dimensional regulator

We compute all helicity amplitudes for four-particle scattering in massless QCD with $n_f$ fermion flavours to next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) in perturbation theory. In particular, we consider all possible configurations of external quarks and gluons. We evaluate the amplitudes in terms of a Laurent series in the dimensional regulator to the order required for future next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N$^3$LO) calculations. The coefficients of the Laurent series are given in terms of harmonic polylogarithms that can readily be evaluated numerically. We present our findings in the conventional dimensional regularisation and in the t'Hooft-Veltman schemes.

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arXiv2019

Conformal Invariance of the One-Loop All-Plus Helicity Scattering Amplitudes

The massless QCD Lagrangian is conformally invariant and, as a consequence, so are the tree-level scattering amplitudes. However, the implications of this powerful symmetry at loop level are only beginning to be explored systematically. Even for finite loop amplitudes, the way conformal symmetry manifests itself may be subtle, e.g. in the form of anomalous conformal Ward identities. As they are finite and rational, the one-loop all-plus and single-minus amplitudes are a natural first step towards understanding the conformal properties of Yang-Mills theory at loop level. Remarkably, we find that the one-loop all-plus amplitudes are conformally invariant, whereas the single-minus are not. Moreover, we present a formula for the one-loop all-plus amplitudes where the symmetry is manifest term by term. Surprisingly, each term transforms covariantly under directional dual conformal variations. We prove the formula directly using recursive techniques, and check that it has the correct physical factorisations.

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arXiv2018

Applications of integrand reduction to two-loop five-point scattering amplitudes in QCD

We review the current state-of-the-art in integrand level reduction for five-point scattering amplitudes at two loops in QCD. We present some benchmark results for the evaluation of the leading colour two-loop five-gluon amplitudes in the physical region as well as the partonic channels for two quarks and three gluons and four quarks and one gluon.

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arXiv2018

Bootstrapping pentagon functions

In PRL 116 (2016) no.6, 062001, the space of planar pentagon functions that describes all two-loop on-shell five-particle scattering amplitudes was introduced. In the present paper we present a natural extension of this space to non-planar pentagon functions. This provides the basis for our pentagon bootstrap program. We classify the relevant functions up to weight four, which is relevant for two-loop scattering amplitudes. We constrain the first entry of the symbol of the functions using information on branch cuts. Drawing on an analogy from the planar case, we introduce a conjectural second-entry condition on the symbol. We then show that the information on the function space, when complemented with some additional insights, can be used to efficiently bootstrap individual Feynman integrals. The extra information is read off of Mellin-Barnes representations of the integrals, either by evaluating simple asymptotic limits, or by taking discontinuities in the kinematic variables. We use this method to evaluate the symbols of two non-trivial non-planar five-particle integrals, up to and including the finite part.

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arXiv2018

Bootstrapping two-loop Feynman integrals for planar N=4 sYM

We derive analytic results for the symbol of certain two-loop Feynman integrals relevant for seven- and eight-point two-loop scattering amplitudes in planar $\mathcal{N}=4$ super-Yang--Mills theory. We use a bootstrap inspired strategy, combined with a set of second-order partial differential equations that provide powerful constraints on the symbol ansatz. When the complete symbol alphabet is not available, we adopt a hybrid approach. Instead of the full function, we bootstrap a certain discontinuity for which the alphabet is known. Then we write a one-fold dispersion integral to recover the complete result. At six and seven points, we find that the individual Feynman integrals live in the same space of functions as the amplitude, which is described by the 9- and 42-letter cluster alphabets respectively. Starting at eight points however, the symbol alphabet of the MHV amplitude is insufficient for individual integrals. In particular, some of the integrals require algebraic letters involving four-mass box square-root singularities. We point out that these algebraic letters are relevant at the amplitude level directly starting with N$^2$MHV amplitudes even at one loop.

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arXiv2017

On the Casimir scaling violation in the cusp anomalous dimension at small angle

We compute the four-loop $n_f$ contribution proportional to the quartic Casimir of the QCD cusp anomalous dimension as an expansion for small cusp angle $ϕ$. This piece is gauge invariant, violates Casimir scaling, and first appears at four loops. It requires the evaluation of genuine non-planar four-loop Feynman integrals. We present results up to ${\mathcal O}(ϕ^4)$. One motivation for our calculation is to probe a recent conjecture on the all-order structure of the cusp anomalous dimension. As a byproduct we obtain the four-loop HQET wave function anomalous dimension for this color structure.

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arXiv2016

Massive three-loop form factor in the planar limit

We compute the three-loop QCD corrections to the massive quark-anti-quark-photon form factors $F_1$ and $F_2$ in the large-$N_c$ limit. The analytic results are expressed in terms of Goncharov polylogarithms. This allows for a straightforward numerical evaluation. We also derive series expansions, including power suppressed terms, for three kinematic regions corresponding to small and large invariant masses of the photon momentum, and small velocities of the heavy quarks.

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arXiv2012

An exact formula for the radiation of a moving quark in N=4 super Yang Mills

We derive an exact formula for the cusp anomalous dimension at small angles. This is done by relating the latter to the computation of certain 1/8 BPS Wilson loops which was performed by supersymmetric localization. This function of the coupling also determines the power emitted by a moving quark in N=4 super Yang Mills, as well as the coefficient of the two point function of the displacement operator on the Wilson loop. By a similar method we compute the near BPS expansion of the generalized cusp anomalous dimension.

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arXiv2012

The cusp anomalous dimension at three loops and beyond

We derive an analytic formula at three loops for the cusp anomalous dimension Gamma_cusp(phi) in N=4 super Yang-Mills. This is done by exploiting the relation of the latter to the Regge limit of massive amplitudes. We comment on the corresponding three loops quark anti-quark potential. Our result also determines a considerable part of the three-loop cusp anomalous dimension in QCD. Finally, we consider a limit in which only ladder diagrams contribute to physical observables. In that limit, a precise agreement with strong coupling is observed.

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arXiv2010

One-Loop Superconformal and Yangian Symmetries of Scattering Amplitudes in N=4 Super Yang-Mills

Recently it has been argued that tree-level scattering amplitudes in N=4 Yang-Mills theory are uniquely determined by a careful study of their superconformal and Yangian symmetries. However, at one-loop order these symmetries are known to become anomalous due to infrared divergences. We compute these one-loop anomalies for amplitudes defined through dimensional regularisation by studying the tree-level symmetry transformations of the unitarity branch cuts, keeping track of the crucial collinear terms arising from the holomorphic anomaly. We extract the superconformal anomalies and show that they may be cancelled through a universal one-loop deformation of the tree-level symmetry generators which involves only tree-level data. Specialising to the planar theory we also obtain the analogous deformation for the level-one Yangian generator of momentum. Explicit checks of our one-loop deformation are performed for MHV and the 6-point NMHV amplitudes.

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arXiv2008

Duality between Wilson Loops and Scattering Amplitudes

We summarise the status of an intriguing new duality between planar maximally helicity violating scattering amplitudes and light-like Wilson loops in N=4 super Yang-Mills. In particular, we focus on the role played by (dual) conformal symmetry, which is made predictive by deriving anomalous conformal Ward identities for the Wilson loops. Assuming the duality, the conformal symmetry of the dual Wilson loops becomes an unexpected new symmetry of scattering amplitudes in N=4 SYM.

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