arXiv subjects

Massimo Bianchi

Publications and source records attributed to Massimo Bianchi.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Instanton corrections to the effective action of N=4 SYM

We compute the one-instanton effective action of N=4 super Yang-Mills theory with gauge group Sp(2N). The result can be written in a very compact and manifestly supersymmetric form involving an integral over the superspace of an irrational function of the N=4 on-shell superfields. In the Coulomb branch, the instanton corrects both the MHV and next-to-next-MHV higher derivative terms D^4F^{2n+2} and F^{2n+4}. We confirm at the non-perturbative level the non-renormalization theorems for MHV F^{2n+2} terms that are expected to receive perturbative corrections only at n-loops. We compute also the one and two-loop corrections to the D^4F^4 term and show that its completion under SL(2,Z) duality is consistent with the one-instanton results of U(2) gauge group.

hep-th↗

arXiv2016

Stringy origin of 4d black hole microstates

We derive a precise dictionary between micro-state geometries and open string condensates for a large class of excitations of four dimensional BPS black holes realised in terms of D3-branes intersecting on a six-torus. The complete multipole expansion of the supergravity solutions at weak coupling is extracted from string amplitudes involving one massless closed string and multiple open strings insertions on disks with mixed boundary conditions.

hep-th↗

arXiv2016

Simplifying one-loop amplitudes in superstring theory

We show that 4-point vector boson one-loop amplitudes, computed in ref.[1] in the RNS formalism, around vacuum configurations with open unoriented strings, preserving at least N=1 SUSY in D=4, satisfy the correct supersymmetry Ward identities, in that they vanish for non MHV configurations (++++) and (-+++). In the MHV case (--++) we drastically simplify their expressions. We then study factorisation and the limiting IR and UV behaviour and find some unexpected results. In particular no massless poles are exposed at generic values of the modular parameter. Relying on the supersymmetric properties of our bosonic amplitudes, we extend them to manifestly supersymmetric super-amplitudes and compare our results with those obtained in the D=4 hybrid formalism, pointing out difficulties in reconciling the two approaches for contributions from N=1,2 sectors.

hep-th↗

arXiv2016

Exotic see-saw mechanism for neutrinos and leptogenesis in a Pati-Salam model

We discuss non-perturbative corrections to the neutrino sector, in the context of a D-brane Pati-Salam-like model, that can be obtained as a simple alternative to $SO(10)$ GUT's in theories with open and unoriented strings. In such D-brane models, exotic stringy instantons can correct the right-handed neutrino mass matrix in a calculable way, thus affecting mass hierarchies and modifying the see-saw mechanism to what we name exotic see-saw. For a wide range of parameters, a compact spectrum of right-handed neutrino masses can occur that gives rise to a predictive scenario for low energy observables. This model also provides a viable mechanism for Baryon Asymmetry in the Universe (BAU) through leptogenesis. Finally, a Majorana mass for the neutron is naturally predicted in the model, leading to potentially testable neutron-antineutron oscillations. Combined measurements in neutrino and neutron-antineutron sectors could provide precious informations on physics at the quantum gravity scale.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2016

On the soft limit of closed string amplitudes with massive states

We extend our analysis of the soft behaviour of string amplitudes with massive insertions to closed strings at tree level (sphere). Relying on our previous results for open strings on the disk and on KLT formulae we check universality of the soft behaviour for gravitons to sub-leading order for superstring amplitudes and show how this gets modified for bosonic strings. At sub-sub-leading order we argue in favour of universality for superstrings on the basis of OPE of the vertex operators and gauge invariance for the soft graviton. The results are illustrated by explicit examples of 4-point amplitudes with one massive insertion in any dimension, including D=4, where use of the helicity spinor formalism drastically simplifies the expressions. As a by-product of our analysis we confirm that the `single valued projection' holds for massive amplitudes, too. We briefly comment on the soft behaviour of the anti-symmetric tensor and on loop corrections.

hep-th↗

arXiv2016

On the soft limit of tree-level string amplitudes

We study the soft behavior of string scattering amplitudes at three level with massless and massive external insertions, relying on different techniques to compute 4-points amplitudes respectively with open or closed strings.

hep-th↗

arXiv2015

On the soft limit of open string disk amplitudes with massive states

We discuss the soft behaviour of open string amplitudes with gluons and massive states in any dimension. Notwithstanding non-minimal couplings of massive higher spin states to gluons, relying on OPE and factorization, we argue that the leading and sub-leading terms are universal and identical to the ones in Yang-Mills theories. In order to illustrate this, we compute some 4-point amplitudes on the disk involving gluons, massive states and, for the bosonic string, tachyons. For the superstring, we revisit the structure of the massive super-multiplets at the first massive level and rewrite the amplitudes in D = 4 in the spinor helicity formalism, that we adapt to accommodate massive higher spin states. We also check the validity of a recently obtained formula relating open superstring amplitudes for mass-less states at tree-level to SYM amplitudes, by factorisation on two-particle massive poles. Finally we analyse the holomorphic soft limit of superstring amplitudes with one massive insertion.

hep-th↗

arXiv2015

Un-oriented Quiver Theories for Majorana Neutrons

In the context of un-oriented open string theories, we identify quivers whereby a Majorana mass for the neutron is indirectly generated by exotic instantons. We discuss two classes of (Susy) Standard Model like quivers, depending on the embedding of SU(2)_W in the Chan-Paton group. In both cases, the main mechanism involves a vector-like pair mixing through a non-perturbative mass term. We also discuss possible relations between the phenomenology of Neutron-Antineutron oscillations and LHC physics in these models. In particular, a vector-like pair of color-triplet scalars or color-triplet fermions could be directly detected at LHC, compatibly with n-\bar{n} limits. Finally we briefly comment on Pati-Salam extensions of our models.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2015

Neutron Majorana mass from Exotic Instantons in a Pati-Salam model

We show how exotic stringy instantons can generate an effective interaction between color diquark sextets in a Pati-Salam model, inducing a Majorana mass term for the neutron. In particular, we discuss a simple quiver theory for a Pati-Salam like model, as an example in which the calculations of exotic instantons' effects are simple and controllable. We discuss some different possibilities in order to generate $n-\bar{n}$ oscillation testable in the next generation of experiments, Majorana mass matrices for neutrini and a Post-Sphaleron Baryogenesis scenario. Connections with Dark Matter issues and the Higgs mass Hierarchy problem are discussed, in view of implications for LHC and rare processes physics. The model may be viewed as a completion of Left-Right symmetry, alternative to a GUT-inspired scenario. Combined measures in Neutron-Antineutron physics, FCNC, LHC, Dark Matter could rule out the proposed model or uncover aspects of physics at the Planck scale!

hep-ph↗

arXiv2014

Mass-deformed Brane Tilings

We study renormalization group flows among N=1 SCFTs realized on the worldvolume of D3-branes probing toric Calabi-Yau singularities, thus admitting a brane tiling description. The flows are triggered by masses for adjoint or vector-like pairs of bifundamentals and are generalizations of the Klebanov-Witten construction of the N=1 theory for the conifold starting from the N=2 theory for the C^2/Z_2 orbifold. In order to preserve the toric condition pairs of masses with opposite signs have to be switched on. We offer a geometric interpretation of the flows as complex deformations of the Calabi-Yau singularity preserving the toric condition. For orbifolds, we support this interpretation by an explicit string amplitude computation of the gauge invariant mass terms generated by imaginary self-dual 3-form fluxes in the twisted sector. In agreement with the holographic a-theorem, the volume of the Sasaki-Einstein 5-base of the Calabi-Yau cone always increases along the flow.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

Light stringy states

We carefully study the spectrum of open strings localized at the intersections of D6-branes and identify the lowest massive 'twisted' states and their vertex operators, paying particular attention to the signs of the intersection angles. We argue that the masses of the lightest states scale as M^2 ~ θM^2_s and can thus be parametrically smaller than the string scale. Relying on previous analyses, we compute scattering amplitudes of massless 'twisted' open strings and study their factorization, confirming the presence of the light massive states as sub-dominant poles in one of the channels.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

Neutron Majorana mass from exotic instantons

We show how a Majorana mass for the Neutron could result from non-perturbative quantum gravity effects peculiar to string theory. In particular, "exotic instantons" in un-oriented string compactifications with D-branes extending the (supersymmetric) standard model could indirectly produce an effective operator delta{m} n^t n+h.c. In a specific model with an extra vector-like pair of `quarks', acquiring a large mass proportional to the string mass scale (exponentially suppressed by a function of the string moduli fields), delta{m} can turn out to be as low as 10^{-24}-10^{-25} eV. The induced neutron-antineutron oscillations could take place with a time scale tau_{n\bar{n}} > 10^8 s, that could be tested by the next generation of experiments. On the other hand, proton decay and FCNC's are automatically strongly suppressed and are compatible with the current experimental limits. Depending on the number of brane intersections, the model may also lead to the generation of Majorana masses for R-handed neutrini. Our proposal could also suggest neutron-neutralino or neutron-axino oscillations, with implications in UCN, Dark Matter Direct Detection, UHECR and Neutron-Antineutron oscillations. This suggests to improve the limits on neutron-antineutron oscillations, as a possible test of string theory and quantum gravity.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2014

More on Soft Theorems: Trees, Loops and Strings

We study soft theorems in a broader context, addressing their fate at loop level and their universality in effective field theories and string theory. We argue that for gauge theories in the planar limit, loop-level soft gluon theorems can be made manifest already at the integrand level. In particular, we show that the planar integrand for N=4 SYM satisfies the tree-level soft theorem to all orders in perturbation theory and provide strong evidence to this effect for integrands in N<4 SYM. We consider soft theorems for non-supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories and gravity, and show the validity of integrand soft theorem, while loop corrections to the integrated soft theorems are intimately tied to the presence of conformal anomalies. We then address the question of universality of the soft theorems for various theories. In effective field theories with F^3 and R^3 interactions, the soft theorems are not modified. However for gravity theories with R^2 phi interactions, the sub-sub-leading order soft graviton theorem, which is beyond what is implied by the extended BMS symmetry, requires modifications at tree level for non-supersymmetric theories, and at loop level for N<5 supergravity due to anomalies. Finally, for superstring amplitudes at finite alpha', via explicit calculation for lower-point examples as well as world-sheet OPE analysis for arbitrary multiplicity, we show that the superstring amplitudes satisfy the same soft theorem as its field-theory counterpart. This is no longer true for bosonic closed strings due to the presence of R^2 phi interactions.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

Simplifying instanton corrections to N=4 SYM correlators

We compute instanton corrections to non-minimal correlation functions of chiral primary operators in the N=4 super Yang-Mills super-current multiplet. Using a representation in terms of Mellin integrals, we find that these corrections can be written as conformal integrals in AdS_5 times certain "kinematic" prefactors that are independent of the instanton moduli. We then consider the consecutive, pairwise light-like limit x_{i, i+1}^2 -> 0 of such correlators, and prove that the ratio between the instanton contribution and the corresponding tree-level expression vanishes in this limit. We also speculate on the extension to the non-perturbative level of the proposed duality with polygonal Wilson loops and briefly discuss its potential implications for scattering amplitudes.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

Unoriented Quivers with Flavour

We discuss unoriented quivers with flavour that arise from D3-branes at local orbifold singularities, in the presence of Omega-planes and non-compact D7-branes. We produce a wide class of unoriented quiver gauge theories, including new instances of N=1 superconformal theories. We then consider unoriented D-brane instanton corrections of both `gauge' and `exotic' kinds. In particular, we show that conformal symmetry can be dynamically broken via the generation of exotic superpotentials. Finally we discuss aspects of the recently proposed N=1 remnant of N=4 S-duality. We identify new candidate dual pairs for the C^3/Z_n series of unoriented quiver gauge theories with n odd.

hep-th↗

arXiv2013

Brane instantons and fluxes in F-theory

We study the combined effect of world-volume and background fluxes on Euclidean D3-brane instantons in F-theory compactifications. We derive an appropriate form of the fermionic effective action, in which the fermions are topologically twisted and the dynamical effect of fluxes, non-trivial axio-dilaton and warping is taken into account. We study the structure of fermionic zero modes, which determines the form of possible non-perturbative superpotential and F-terms in the four-dimensional effective action. Invariance under SL(2,Z) is discussed in detail, which allows for an interpretation of the results in terms of the dual M5-brane instanton in the M-theory picture. We also provide the perturbative IIB description in the orientifold limit, when available. Furthermore, we consider the possible inclusion of supersymmetry breaking bulk fluxes and discuss its implications.

hep-th↗

arXiv2012

Heterotic T-folds with a small number of neutral moduli

We discuss non-geometric supersymmetric heterotic string models in D=4, in the framework of the free fermionic construction. We perform a systematic scan of models with four a priori left-right asymmetric Z_2 projections and shifts. We analyze some 2^{20} models, identifying 18 inequivalent classes and addressing variants generated by discrete torsions. They do not contain geometrical or trivial neutral moduli, apart from the dilaton. However, we show the existence of flat directions in the form of exactly marginal deformations and identify patterns of symmetry breaking where product gauge groups, realized at level one, are broken to their diagonal at higher level. We also describe an "inverse Gepner map" from Heterotic to Type II models that could be used, in certain non geometric settings, to define "effective" topological invariants.

hep-th↗

arXiv2012

Unoriented D-brane instantons

We give a pedagogical introduction to D-brane instanton effects in vacuum configurations with open and unoriented strings. We focus on quiver gauge theories for unoriented D-branes at orbifold singularities and describe in some detail the Z_3 case, where both `gauge' and `exotic' instantons can generate non-perturbative super potentials, and the Z_5 case, where supersymmetry breaking may arise from the combined effect of `gauge' instantons and a FI D-term.

hep-th↗