arXiv subjects

Tim Adamo

Publications and source records attributed to Tim Adamo.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

All-order celestial OPE in the MHV sector

On-shell kinematics for gluon scattering can be parametrized with points on the celestial sphere; in the limit where these points collide, it is known that tree-level gluon scattering amplitudes exhibit an operator product expansion (OPE)-like structure. While it is possible to obtain singular contributions to this celestial OPE, getting regular contributions from both holomorphic and anti-holomorphic sectors is more difficult. In this paper, we use twistor string theory to describe the maximal helicity violating (MHV) sector of tree-level, four-dimensional gluon scattering as an effective 2d conformal field theory on the celestial sphere. By organizing the OPE between vertex operators in this theory in terms of soft gluon descendants, we obtain all-order expressions for the celestial OPE which include all regular contributions in the collinear expansion. This gives new, all-order formulae for the collinear splitting function (in momentum space) and celestial OPE coefficients (in the conformal primary basis) of tree-level MHV gluon scattering. We obtain these results for both positive and negative helicity gluons, and for any incoming/outgoing kinematic configuration within the MHV sector.

hep-th↗

arXiv2022

Gluon scattering on self-dual radiative gauge fields

We present all-multiplicity formulae, derived from first principles in the MHV sector and motivated by twistor string theory for general helicities, for the tree-level S-matrix of gluon scattering on self-dual radiative backgrounds. These backgrounds are chiral, asymptotically flat gauge fields characterised by their free radiative data, and their underlying integrability is captured by twistor theory. Tree-level gluon scattering scattering amplitudes are expressed as integrals over the moduli space of holomorphic maps from the Riemann sphere to twistor space, with the degree of the map related to the helicity configuration of the external gluons. In the MHV sector, our formula is derived from the Yang-Mills action; for general helicities the formulae are obtained using a background-coupled twistor string theory and pass several consistency tests. Unlike amplitudes on a trivial vacuum, there are residual integrals due to the functional freedom in the self-dual background, but for scattering of momentum eigenstates we are able to do many of these explicitly and even more is possible in the special case of plane wave backgrounds. In general, the number of these integrals is always less than expected from standard perturbation theory, but matches the number associated with space-time MHV rules in a self-dual background field, which we develop for self-dual plane waves.

hep-th↗

arXiv2022

Graviton scattering in self-dual radiative space-times

The construction of amplitudes on curved space-times is a major challenge, particularly when the background has non-constant curvature. We give formulae for all tree-level graviton scattering amplitudes in curved self-dual radiative space-times; these are chiral, source-free, asymptotically flat spaces determined by free characteristic data at null infinity. Such space-times admit an elegant description in terms of twistor theory, which provides the powerful tools required to exploit their underlying integrability. The tree-level S-matrix is written in terms of an integral over the moduli space of holomorphic maps from the Riemann sphere to twistor space, with the degree of the map corresponding to the helicity configuration of the external gravitons. For the MHV sector, we derive the amplitude directly from the Einstein-Hilbert action of general relativity, while other helicity configurations arise from a natural family of generating functionals and pass several consistency checks. The amplitudes in self-dual radiative space-times exhibit many novel features that are absent in Minkowski space, including tail effects. There remain residual integrals due to the functional degrees of freedom in the background space-time, but our formulae have many fewer such integrals than would be expected from space-time perturbation theory. In highly symmetric special cases, such as self-dual plane waves, the number of residual integrals can be further reduced, resulting in much simpler expressions for the scattering amplitudes.

hep-th↗

arXiv2022

Eikonal amplitudes from curved backgrounds

Eikonal exponentiation in QFT describes the emergence of classical physics at long distances in terms of a non-trivial resummation of infinitely many diagrams. Long ago, 't Hooft proposed a beautiful correspondence between ultra-relativistic scalar eikonal scattering and one-to-one scattering in a background shockwave space-time, bypassing the need to resum. In this spirit, we propose here a covariant method for computing one-to-one amplitudes in curved background space-times which gives rise what we conjecture to be a general expression for the eikonal amplitude. We show how the one-to-one scattering amplitude for scalars on any stationary space-time reduces to a boundary term that captures the long-distance behavior of the background and has the structure of an exponentiated eikonal amplitude. In the case of scalar scattering on Schwarzschild, we recover the known results for gravitational scattering of massive scalars in the eikonal regime. For Kerr, we find a remarkable exponentiation of the tree-level amplitude for gravitational scattering between a massive scalar and a massive particle of infinite spin. This amplitude exhibits a Kawai-Lewellen-Tye-like factorization, which we use to evaluate the eikonal amplitude in momentum space, and study its analytic properties.

hep-th↗

arXiv2022

Celestial operator products from the worldsheet

We compute the operator product expansions of gluons and gravitons in celestial CFT from the worldsheet OPE of vertex operators of four-dimensional ambitwistor string theories. Remarkably, the worldsheet OPE localizes on the short-distance singularity between vertex operator insertions which in turn coincides with the OPE limit of operator insertions on the celestial sphere. The worldsheet CFT dynamically produces known celestial OPE coefficients -- as well as infinite towers of SL$(2,\mathbb{R})$ descendant contributions to the celestial OPE -- without any truncations or approximations. We obtain these results for all helicities and incoming/outgoing configurations. Furthermore, the worldsheet OPE encodes the infinite-dimensional symmetry algebras associated with the conformally soft sectors of gauge theory and gravity. We provide explicit operator realizations of the currents generating these symmetries on ambitwistor space in terms of vertex operators for soft gluons and gravitons, also computing their actions on hard particles of all helicities. Lastly, we show that the worldsheet OPE for momentum eigenstates produces the collinear splitting functions of gluons and gravitons.

hep-th↗

arXiv2022

Classical physics from amplitudes on curved backgrounds

We generalise the Kosower-Maybee-O'Connell (KMOC) formalism relating classical observables and scattering amplitudes to curved backgrounds. We show how to compute the final semiclassical state for a particle moving in a curved background in terms of scattering amplitudes on that background. Two-point amplitudes in this framework correspond to conservative physics with background-dependent memory effects. As an application, we consider plane wave and shockwave backgrounds both in electromagnetism and general relativity. We determine the final semiclassical state, showing it satisfies a notion of double copy on curved backgrounds. We then conclude by computing the impulse of a particle on such backgrounds, deriving exact results and velocity memory effects.

hep-th↗

arXiv2022

Snowmass White Paper: the Double Copy and its Applications

The double copy is, in essence, a map between scattering amplitudes in a broad variety of familiar field and string theories. In addition to the mathematically rich intrinsic structure, it underlies a multitude of active research directions and has a range of interesting applications in quantum, classical and effective field theories, including broad topics such as string theory, particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology. This Snowmass white paper provides a brief introduction to the double copy, its applications, current research and future challenges.

hep-th↗

arXiv2022

Celestial $w_{1+\infty}$ Symmetries from Twistor Space

We explain how twistor theory represents the self-dual sector of four dimensional gravity in terms of the loop group of Poisson diffeomorphisms of the plane via Penrose's non-linear graviton construction. The symmetries of the self-dual sector are generated by the corresponding loop algebra $Lw_{1+\infty}$ of the algebra $w_{1+\infty}$ of these Poisson diffeomorphisms. We show that these coincide with the infinite tower of soft graviton symmetries in tree-level perturbative gravity recently discovered in the context of celestial amplitudes. We use a twistor sigma model for the self-dual sector which describes maps from the Riemann sphere to the asymptotic twistor space defined from characteristic data at null infinity ${\mathcal I}$. We show that the OPE of the sigma model naturally encodes the Poisson structure on twistor space and gives rise to the celestial realization of $Lw_{1+\infty}$. The vertex operators representing soft gravitons in our model act as currents generating the wedge algebra of $w_{1+\infty}$ and produce the expected celestial OPE with hard gravitons of both helicities. We also discuss how the two copies of $Lw_{1+\infty}$, one for each of the self-dual and anti-self-dual sectors, are represented in the OPEs of vertex operators of the 4d ambitwistor string.

hep-th↗

arXiv2022

Twistor sigma models for quaternionic geometry and graviton scattering

We reformulate the twistor construction for hyper- and quaternion-Kähler manifolds, introducing new sigma models that compute scalar potentials for the geometry. These sigma models have the twistor space of the quaternionic manifold as their target and encode finite non-linear perturbations of the flat structures. In the hyperkähler case our twistor sigma models compute both Plebanski fundamental forms (including the Kähler potential), while in the quaternion-Kähler setting the twistor sigma model computes the Kähler potential for the hyperkähler structure on non-projective twistor space. In four-dimensions, one of the models provides the generating functional of tree-level MHV graviton scattering amplitudes; perturbations of the hyperkähler structure corresponding to positive helicity gravitons. The sigma model's perturbation theory gives rise to a sum of tree diagrams observed previously in the literature, and their summation via a matrix tree theorem gives a first-principles derivation of Hodges' formula for MHV graviton amplitudes directly from general relativity. We generalise the twistor sigma model to higher-degree (defined in the first case with a cosmological constant), giving a new generating principle for the full tree-level graviton S-matrix.

hep-th↗

arXiv2022

One-loop multicollinear limits from 2-point amplitudes on self-dual backgrounds

For scattering amplitudes in strong background fields, it is -- at least in principle -- possible to perturbatively expand the background to obtain higher-point vacuum amplitudes. In the case of self-dual plane wave backgrounds we consider this expansion for two-point, one-loop amplitudes in pure Yang-Mills, QED and QCD. This enables us to obtain multicollinear limits of 1-loop vacuum amplitudes; the resulting helicity configurations are surprisingly restricted, with only the all-plus helicity amplitude surviving. These results are shown to be consistent with well-known vacuum amplitudes. We also show that for both abelian and non-abelian supersymmetric gauge theories, there is no helicity flip (and hence no vacuum birefringence) on any plane wave background, generalising a result previously known in the Euler-Heisenberg limit of super-QED.

hep-th↗

arXiv2021

Classical double copy at null infinity

We give two double copy prescriptions which construct asymptotically flat solutions in gravity from asymptotically flat gauge fields. The first prescription applies to radiative fields, which are non-linear vacuum solutions determined by characteristic data at null infinity. For any two such radiative gauge fields (linear or non-linear), the characteristic data of a radiative metric, dilaton and axion is constructed by a simple `squaring' procedure, giving a classical double copy at the level of radiation fields. We demonstrate the procedure with several examples where the characteristic data can be explicitly integrated; for linear fields this also sheds light on the twistorial description of Weyl double copy. Our second prescription applies to all asymptotically flat fields at the level of their asymptotic equations of motion: we give a map between any solution of the asymptotic Maxwell equations and any solution of the asymptotic Einstein equations at null infinity. This also extends to the asymptotic charges and their duals, preserves the soft and hard sectors between gauge theory and gravity, and is related to the usual notion of double copy in scattering amplitudes.

hep-th↗

arXiv2021

Particle-beam scattering from strong-field QED

We consider the scattering of probe particles on an ultra-boosted beam of charge, in the case that the fields of the beam are strong and must be treated non-perturbatively. We show that the fields of the ultra-boosted beam act as stochastic plane waves - scattering amplitudes (of elastic scattering, nonlinear Compton and nonlinear Breit-Wheeler) are obtained without approximation by averaging plane wave scattering amplitudes over all possible plane wave parameters. The relevant plane waves are ultra-short and, as such, scattering on ultra-boosted beams does not exhibit the conjectured strong-field behaviour of QED based on the locally constant field approximation.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Classical and quantum double copy of back-reaction

We consider radiation emitted by colour-charged and massive particles crossing strong plane wave backgrounds in gauge theory and gravity. These backgrounds are treated exactly and non-perturbatively throughout. We compute the back-reaction on these fields from the radiation emitted by the probe particles: classically through background-coupled worldline theories, and at tree-level in the quantum theory through three-point amplitudes. Consistency of these two methods is established explicitly. We show that the gauge theory and gravity amplitudes are related by the double copy for amplitudes on plane wave backgrounds. Finally, we demonstrate that in four-dimensions these calculations can be carried out with a background-dressed version of the massive spinor-helicity formalism.

hep-th↗

arXiv2020

MHV scattering of gluons and gravitons in chiral strong fields

We present all-multiplicity formulae for the tree-level scattering of gluons and gravitons in the maximal helicity violating (MHV) helicity configuration, calculated in certain chiral strong fields. The strong backgrounds we consider are self-dual plane waves in gauge theory and general relativity, which are treated exactly and admit a well-defined S-matrix. The gauge theory background-coupled MHV amplitude is simply a dressed analogue of the familiar Parke-Taylor formula, but the gravitational version has non-trivial new structures due to graviton tails. Both formulae have just one residual integral rather than the $n-2$ expected at $n$-points from space-time perturbation theory; this simplification arises from the integrability of self-dual backgrounds and their corresponding twistor description. The resulting formulae pass several consistency checks and limit to the well-known expressions for MHV scattering of gluons and gravitons when the background becomes trivial.

hep-th↗

arXiv2020

Twistor fishnets

Four-dimensional conformal fishnet theory is an integrable scalar theory which arises as a double scaling limit of $γ$-deformed maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills. We give a perturbative reformulation of $γ$-deformed super-Yang-Mills theory in twistor space, and implement the double scaling limit to obtain a twistor description of conformal fishnet theory. The conformal fishnet theory retains an abelian gauge symmetry on twistor space which is absent in space-time, allowing us to obtain cohomological formulae for scattering amplitudes that manifest conformal invariance. We study various classes of scattering amplitudes in twistor space with this formalism.

hep-th↗

arXiv2019

Celestial amplitudes and conformal soft theorems

Scattering amplitudes in $d+2$ dimensions can be expressed in terms of a conformal basis, for which the S-matrix behaves as a CFT correlation function on the celestial $d$-sphere. We explain how compact expressions for the full tree-level S-matrix of gauge theory, gravity and other QFTs extend to this conformal basis, and are easily derived from ambitwistor strings. Using these formulae and their worldsheet origins, we prove various tree-level 'conformal soft theorems' in gauge theory and gravity in any dimension; these arise from limits where the scaling dimension of an external state in the scattering process takes special values. These conformally soft limits are obscure from standard methods, but they are easily derived with ambitwistor strings. Additionally, we make an identification between the residues of conformally soft vertex operator insertions in ambitwistor strings and charges generating asymptotic symmetries.

hep-th↗

arXiv2019

Gluon helicity flip in a plane wave background

We compute the leading probability for a gluon to flip helicity state upon traversing a background plane wave gauge field in pure Yang-Mills theory and QCD, with an arbitrary number of colours and flavours. This is a one-loop calculation in perturbative gauge theory around the gluonic plane wave background, which is treated without approximation (i.e., to all orders in the coupling). We introduce a background-dressed version of the spinor helicity formalism and use it to obtain simple formulae for the flip amplitude with pure external gluon polarizations. We also give in-depth examples for gauge group SU(2), and evaluate both the high- and low-energy limits. Throughout, we compare and contrast with the calculation of photon helicity flip in strong-field QED.

hep-th↗

arXiv2018

Minitwistors and 3d Yang-Mills-Higgs theory

We construct a minitwistor action for Yang--Mills--Higgs theory in three dimensions. The Feynman diagrams of this action will construct perturbation theory around solutions of the Bogomolny equations in much the same way that MHV diagrams describe perturbation theory around the self--dual Yang Mills equations in four dimensions. We also provide a new formula for all tree amplitudes in YMH theory (and its maximally supersymmetric extension) in terms of degree d maps to minitwistor space. We demonstrate its relationship to the RSVW formula in four dimensions and show that it generates the correct MHV amplitudes at d=1 and factorizes correctly in all channels for all degrees.

hep-th↗