arXiv subjects

Roger Morales

Publications and source records attributed to Roger Morales.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Gravitational Effective Theories with Maximal Supersymmetry and a Peculiar Parity

We study the space of four-dimensional ultraviolet completions for $\mathcal{N}=8$ supergravity that are described at low energies by weakly-coupled effective field theories (EFTs) with maximal supersymmetry and $\mathrm{SU}(4)\times\mathrm{SU}(4)$ R-symmetry. We show that tree-level factorization of the 4-, 5-, and 6-point EFT scattering amplitudes, together with a certain ``peculiar parity'' condition, leads to nonlinear constraints on the 4-point Wilson coefficients. This peculiar parity is a property that can only be imposed on a subset of scalar amplitudes. Combining the nonlinear constraints with positivity, we find that the allowed region of 4-point Wilson coefficients is reduced to a non-convex domain with two sharp corners: one being the closed superstring Virasoro--Shapiro amplitude, the other an infinite spin tower amplitude exchanging states of every spin at the same mass. We show both numerically and analytically that requiring a finite number of states near the first mass level leaves only the Virasoro--Shapiro amplitude.

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arXiv2026

String Theory from Maximal Supersymmetry

We explore the space of non-gravitational, maximally supersymmetric, planar 4d effective field theories (EFTs) that have $\mathcal{N}=4$ super Yang-Mills (SYM) at leading order. In the weakly-coupled regime, we examine the combined constraints of $\mathcal{N}=4$ supersymmetry and $SU(4)$ R-symmetry together with the requirement of standard tree-level factorization on the massless poles of the 4-, 5-, and 6-point EFT scattering amplitudes. When imposing a parity condition on the 6-scalar amplitudes, we find highly nontrivial nonlinear constraints on the 4-point Wilson coefficients. When these novel constraints are combined with positivity, the resulting bounds on the 4-point Wilson coefficients converge to the values of the open string Veneziano amplitude. Our results strongly suggest that supersymmetry, R-symmetry, the parity requirement on the 6-scalar amplitudes, and positivity are sufficient to single out this unique UV completion at tree level. Our findings, moreover, highlight the power of higher-point amplitudes in constraining EFT data and imply that the space of consistent quantum field theories is even more restricted than previously suggested by causality or swampland-based approaches.

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arXiv2025

The spectrum of Feynman-integral geometries at two loops

We provide a complete classification of the Feynman-integral geometries at two-loop order in four-dimensional Quantum Field Theory with standard quadratic propagators. Concretely, we consider a finite basis of integrals in the 't Hooft--Veltman scheme, i.e. with $D$-dimensional loop momenta and four-dimensional external momenta, which belong to 79 independent topologies, or sectors. Then, we analyze the leading singularities of the integrals in those sectors for generic values of the masses and momenta, using the loop-by-loop Baikov representation. Aside from the Riemann sphere, we find that elliptic curves, hyperelliptic curves of genus 2 and 3 as well as K3 surfaces occur. Moreover, we find a smooth and non-degenerate Del Pezzo surface of degree 2, a particular Fano variety known to be rationalizable, resulting in a curve of geometric genus 3. These geometries determine the space of functions relevant for Quantum Field Theories at two-loop order, including in the Standard Model.

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arXiv2025

Special Functions and Geometries in Scattering Amplitudes: From Particle Physics to Gravity

This thesis focuses on the fields of scattering amplitudes and Feynman integrals, with an emphasis on the geometries and special functions that they involve, and is devoted to two distinct research directions. In the first half of the thesis, we explore elliptic Feynman integrals in maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills (N = 4 SYM) theory. In particular, we study elliptic generalizations of ladder diagrams, identifying the first two families of Feynman integrals involving the same elliptic curve to all loop orders, which provide a great testing ground for developing mathematical tools that can facilitate the calculation of elliptic integrals. In this direction, we initiate the symbol bootstrap for elliptic Feynman integrals, for which we generalize the so-called Schubert analysis to predict elliptic symbol letters. As a proof of principle, we obtain for the first time the symbol of the two-loop twelve-point elliptic double-box integral, resulting in a compact, one-line formula. In the second half of the thesis, we pioneer a systematic investigation of the Feynman integral geometries that are relevant to the study of gravitational waves emitted during the inspiral phase of black-hole mergers within the post-Minkowskian expansion of classical gravity. Specifically, we classify the geometries and special functions appearing in the expansion up to four loops. Among other findings, we identify the first Calabi-Yau three-dimensional geometry relevant to gravitational-wave physics. Subsequently, we study the Feynman integral giving rise to this Calabi-Yau geometry in more detail, and solve it by bringing its differential equation into canonical form - a step that required developing a new method that accommodates for apparent singularities.

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arXiv2025

Classification of Feynman integral geometries for black-hole scattering at 5PM order

We provide a complete classification of the Feynman integral geometries relevant to the scattering of two black holes at fifth order in the post-Minkowskian (PM) expansion, i.e. at four loops. The analysis includes integrals relevant to both the conservative and dissipative dynamics, as well as to all orders in the self-force (SF) expansion, i.e. the 0SF, 1SF and 2SF orders. By relating the geometries of integrals across different loop orders and integral families, we find that out of the 16,596 potentially contributing integral topologies, only 70 need to be analyzed in detail. By further computing their leading singularities using the loop-by-loop Baikov representation, we show that there only appear two different three-dimensional Calabi-Yau geometries and two different K3 surfaces at this loop order, which together characterize the space of functions beyond polylogarithms to which the 5PM integrals evaluate.

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arXiv2024

Calabi-Yau Feynman integrals in gravity: $\varepsilon$-factorized form for apparent singularities

We study a recently identified four-loop Feynman integral that contains a three-dimensional Calabi-Yau geometry and contributes to the scattering of black holes in classical gravity at fifth post-Minkowskian and second self-force order (5PM 2SF) in the conservative sector. In contrast to previously studied Calabi-Yau Feynman integrals, the higher-order differential equation that this integral satisfies in dimensional regularization exhibits $\varepsilon$-dependent apparent singularities. We introduce an appropriate ansatz which allows us to bring such cases into an $\varepsilon$-factorized form. As a proof of principle, we apply it to the integral at hand.

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arXiv2024

Classifying post-Minkowskian geometries for gravitational waves via loop-by-loop Baikov

We use the loop-by-loop Baikov representation to investigate the geometries in Feynman integrals contributing to the classical dynamics of a black-hole two-body system in the post-Minkowskian expansion of general relativity. These geometries determine the spaces of functions to which the corresponding Feynman diagrams evaluate. As a proof of principle, we provide a full classification of the geometries appearing up to three loops, i.e. fourth post-Minkowskian order, for all diagrams relevant to the conservative as well as the dissipative dynamics, finding full agreement with the literature. Moreover, we show that the non-planar top topology at four loops, which is the most complicated sector with respect to integration-by-parts identities, has an algebraic leading singularity and thus can only depend on non-trivial geometries through its subsectors.

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arXiv2023

Calabi-Yau meets Gravity: A Calabi-Yau three-fold at fifth post-Minkowskian order

We study geometries occurring in Feynman integrals that contribute to the scattering of black holes in the post-Minkowskian expansion. These geometries become relevant to gravitational-wave production during the inspiralling phase of binary black hole mergers through the classical conservative potential. At fourth post-Minkowskian order, a K3 surface is known to occur in a three-loop integral, leading to elliptic integrals in the result. In this letter, we identify a Calabi-Yau three-fold in a four-loop integral, contributing at fifth post-Minkowskian order. The presence of this Calabi-Yau geometry indicates that completely new functions occur in the full analytical results at this order.

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arXiv2023

An Infinite Family of Elliptic Ladder Integrals

We identify two families of ten-point Feynman diagrams that generalize the elliptic double box, and show that they can be expressed in terms of the same class of elliptic multiple polylogarithms to all loop orders. Interestingly, one of these families can also be written as a dlog form. For both families of diagrams, we provide new 2l-fold integral representations that are linearly reducible in all but one variable and that make the above properties manifest. We illustrate the simplicity of this integral representation by directly integrating the three-loop representative of both families of diagrams. These families also satisfy a pair of second-order differential equations, making them ideal examples on which to develop bootstrap techniques involving elliptic symbol letters at high loop orders.

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arXiv2022

Bootstrapping elliptic Feynman integrals using Schubert analysis

The symbol bootstrap has proven to be a powerful tool for calculating polylogarithmic Feynman integrals and scattering amplitudes. In this letter, we initiate the symbol bootstrap for elliptic Feynman integrals. Concretely, we bootstrap the symbol of the twelve-point two-loop double-box integral in four dimensions, which depends on nine dual-conformal cross ratios. We obtain the symbol alphabet, which contains 100 logarithms as well as 9 simple elliptic integrals, via a Schubert-type analysis, which we equally generalize to the elliptic case. In particular, we find a compact, one-line formula for the (2,2)-coproduct of the result.

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arXiv2022

From the EFT of Spinning Gravitating Objects to Poincar\'e and Gauge Invariance at the 4.5PN Precision Frontier

We confirm the generalized actions of the complete NLO cubic-in-spin interactions for generic compact binaries which were first tackled via an extension of the EFT of spinning gravitating objects. We first reduce these generalized actions to standard actions with spins, where the interaction potentials are found to consist of $6$ independent sectors, including a new unique sector that is proportional to the square of the quadrupolar deformation parameter, $C_{\text{ES}^2}$. We derive the general Hamiltonians in an arbitrary reference frame, and for generic kinematic configurations. With these most general Hamiltonians we construct the full Poincar\'e algebra of all the sectors at the fourth and a half post-Newtonian (4.5PN) order, including the third subleading spin-orbit sector, recently accomplished uniquely via our framework, thus proving the Poincar\'e invariance of all relevant sectors. We then derive the binding energies with gauge-invariant relations useful for gravitational-wave applications. Finally, we also derive the extrapolated scattering angles in the aligned-spins configuration for the scattering problem. Yet, as made clear already as of quadratic-in-spin sectors, the aligned-spins simplification inherent to the scattering-angle observable, entails a great loss of physical information, that is only growing with higher-spin sectors. Our completion of the full Poincar\'e algebra at the present $4.5$PN order provides strong confidence that this new precision frontier in PN theory has now been established.

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