We further investigate, in the planar limit of N=4 supersymmetric Yang Mills theories,the high energy Regge behavior of six-point MHV scattering amplitudes. In particular, for the new Regge cut contribution found in our previous paper, we compute in the leading logarithmic approximation (LLA) the energy spectrum of the BFKL equation in the color octet channel, and we calculate explicitly the two loop corrections to the discontinuities of the amplitudes for the transitions 2 to 4 and 3 to 3. We find an explicit solution of the BFKL equation for the octet channel for arbitrary momentum transfers and investigate the intercepts of the Regge singularities in this channel. As an important result we find that the universal collinear and infrared singularities of the BDS formula are not affected by this Regge-cut contribution. Any improvement of the BDS formula should reproduce this cut to all orders in the coupling.
We show that the gluon of N=4 Yang--Mills theory lies on a Regge trajectory, which then implies that the graviton of N=8 supergravity also lies on a Regge trajectory. This is consistent with the conjecture that N=8 supergravity is ultraviolet finite in perturbation theory.
The proof of the multi-Regge form of multiple production amplitudes in the next-to-leading logarithmic approximation is presented for Yang-Mills theories with fermions and scalars in any representations of the colour group and with any Yukawa-type interaction. Explicit expressions for the Reggeized gauge boson trajectory, the Reggeon vertices and the impact factors are given. Fulfilment of the bootstrap conditions is proved.
We investigate the collinear and Regge behavior of the 2 -> 4 MHV amplitude in N = 4super Yang-Mills theory in the BFKL approach. The expression for the remainder function in the collinear kinematics proposed by Alday, Gaiotto, Maldacena, Sever and Vieira is analytically continued to the Mandelstam region. The result of the continuation in the Regge kinematics shows an agreement with the BFKL approach up to to five-loop level. We present the Regge theory interpretation of the obtained results and discuss some issues related to a possible non-multiplicative renormalization of the remainder func…
The loop expansion for the n-point functions of N=4 Yang-Mills theory and N=8 supergravity can be formulated as the loop expansion of scalar field theory with an infinite subclass being the ladder diagrams. We consider the sum of ladder diagrams for gluon-gluon and graviton-graviton scattering in the Regge limit. The reggeization of the gluon and the graviton is discussed in this context and that of hep-th/0701217. If the Bern, Dixon, Smirnov conjecture for planar gluon-gluon scattering is correct, then the ladder sum for SU(N) gauge theory at large N, correctly gives the Regge limit, with Reg…
The multi-Regge limit of scattering amplitudes in strongly-coupled $\mathcal{N}=4$ super Yang-Mills is described by the large mass limit of a set of thermodynamic Bethe ansatz (TBA) equations. A non-trivial remainder function arises in this setup in certain kinematical regions due to excitations of the TBA equations which appear during the analytic continuation into these kinematical regions. So far, these analytic continuations were carried out on a case-by-case basis for the six- and seven-gluon remainder function. In this note, we show that the set of possible excitations appearing in any a…
We revisit the calculation of the six-gluon remainder function in planar $\mathcal{N} = 4$ super Yang-Mills theory from the strong coupling TBA in the multi-Regge limit and identify an infinite set of kinematically subleading terms. These new terms can be compared to the strong coupling limit of the finite-coupling expressions for the impact factor and the BFKL eigenvalue proposed by Basso et al. in arXiv:1407.3766, which were obtained from an analytic continuation of the Wilson loop OPE. After comparing the results order by order in those subleading terms, we show that it is possible to preci…
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. …
We demonstrate that $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetric non-Abelian gauge theories have towers of BPS particles obeying a Regge relation, $J \sim m^{2},$ between their angular momenta, $J,$ and their masses, $m$. For $SU(N)$ Yang-Mills theories, we estimate the slope of these Regge trajectories using a non-relativistic quiver quantum mechanics model. Along the way, we also prove various structure theorems for the quiver moduli spaces that appear in the calculation.
Local effective action is derived to describe Regge asymptotic of Yang-Mills theories. Local symmetries of the effective action originating from the gauge symmetry of the underlying Yang-Mills theory are studied. Multicomponent effective action is introduced to express the symmetry transformations as field transformations. The algebra of these symmetries is decomposed onto a semi-direct sum of commutative algebras and four copies of the gauge algebra of the underlying Yang-Mills theory. Possibility of existence of solitons corresponding to the commutative subalgebra of the symmetry algebra is …
We compute the three-loop leading-colour corrections to the Yang-Mills Regge trajectory and gluon impact factor. Conjecturing that, in analogy with $\mathcal{N}=4$ super Yang-Mills (SYM), in a suitable scheme $N_c$-subleading terms are absent from the three-loop Regge trajectory, we understand our result as the first computation of the pure gauge, or $n_f = 0$, part of the QCD three-loop Regge trajectory. The results are presented both for the bare and renormalised amplitudes and are consistent with predictions from infrared factorisation along with reproducing known results in planar $\mathca…
The precise form of the multi-Regge asymptotics of the two-loop six-point MHV amplitude in N = 4 Super-Yang-Mills theory has been a subject of recent controversy. In this paper we utilize the amplitude/Wilson loop correspondence to obtain precise numerical results for the imaginary part of these asymptotics. The region of phase-space that we consider is interesting because it allowed Bartels, Lipatov, and Sabio Vera to determine that the two-loop six-point MHV amplitude is not fixed by the BDS ansatz. They proceeded by working in the framework of a high energy effective action, thus side-stepp…
We calculate massive string scattering amplitudes of compactified open string in the Regge regime. We extract the complete infinite ratios among high-energy amplitudes of different string states in the fixed angle regime from these Regge string scattering amplitudes. The complete ratios calculated by this indirect method include and extend the subset of ratios calculated previously (Lee and Yang, 2007, and Lee, Takimi, and Yang, 2008) by the more difficult direct fixed angle calculation. In this calculation of compactified open string scattering, we discover a realization of arbitrary real val…
We present the four-loop remainder function for six-gluon scattering with maximal helicity violation in planar N=4 super-Yang-Mills theory, as an analytic function of three dual-conformal cross ratios. The function is constructed entirely from its analytic properties, without ever inspecting any multi-loop integrand. We employ the same approach used at three loops, writing an ansatz in terms of hexagon functions, and fixing coefficients in the ansatz using the multi-Regge limit and the operator product expansion in the near-collinear limit. We express the result in terms of multiple polylogari…
We compute the one-loop string corrections to the Wilson loop, glueball Regge trajectory and stringy hadron masses in the Witten model of non supersymmetric, large-N Yang-Mills theory. The classical string configurations corresponding to the above field theory objects are respectively: open straight strings, folded closed spinning strings, and strings orbiting in the internal part of the supergravity background. For the rectangular Wilson loop we show that besides the standard Luescher term, string corrections provide a rescaling of the field theory string tension. The one-loop corrections to …
We investigate single-valued polylogarithms in two complex variables, which are relevant for the seven-point remainder function in N=4 super-Yang-Mills theory in the multi-Regge regime. After constructing these two-dimensional polylogarithms, we determine the leading logarithmic approximation of the seven-point remainder function up to and including five loops.
We consider the planar MHV amplitude in N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory for 2 -> 4 particle scattering at two and three loops in the Regge kinematics. We perform an analytic continuation of two-loop result for the remainder function found by Goncharov, Spradlin, Vergu and Volovich to the physical region, where the remainder function does not vanish in the Regge limit. After the continuation both the leading and the subleading in the logarithm of the energy terms are extracted and analyzed. Using this result we calculate the next-to-leading corrections to the impact factors required in the…
We investigate n-gluon scattering amplitudes in the multi-Regge region of N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory at strong coupling. Through a careful analysis of the thermodynamic bubble ansatz (TBA) for surfaces in AdS5 with n-g(lu)on boundary conditions we demonstrate that the multi-Regge limit probes the large volume regime of the TBA. In reaching the multi-Regge regime we encounter wall-crossing in the TBA for all n>6. Our results imply that there exists an auxiliary system of algebraic Bethe ansatz equations which encode valuable information on the analytical structure of amplitudes at str…
We describe a general algorithm for the computation of the remainder function for n-gluon scattering in multi-Regge kinematics for strongly coupled planar N=4 super Yang-Mills theory. This regime is accessible through the infrared physics of an auxiliary quantum integrable system describing strings in AdS5xS5. Explicit formulas are presented for n=6 and n=7 external gluons. Our results are consistent with expectations from perturbative gauge theory. This paper comprises the technical details for the results announced in arXiv:1405.3658 .
A novel way of computing high-order amplitudes in the multi-Regge limit of planar maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory is presented. In this framework, we are able to obtain high-loop and high-leg results by an easy operation on known amplitudes with fewer loops and lower multiplicity. This mechanism will be reviewed, along with an ensuing factorisation which allows us to determine leading logarithmic MHV results for any number of legs at a fixed loop order.
We review the Regge and multi-Regge limit of scattering amplitudes in gauge theory, focusing on QCD and its maximally supersymmetric cousin, planar ${\cal N}=4$ super-Yang-Mills theory. We identify the large logarithms that are developed in these limits, and the progress that has been made in resumming them, towards next-to-next-to-leading logarithms for BFKL evolution in QCD, as well as all-orders proposals in planar ${\cal N}=4$ super-Yang-Mills theory and the perturbative checks of those proposals. We also cover the application of single-valued multiple polylogarithms to this important kine…
As we have shown in previous work, the high energy limit of scattering amplitudes in N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory corresponds to the infrared limit of the 1-dimensional quantum integrable system that solves minimal area problems in AdS5. This insight can be developed into a systematic algorithm to compute the strong coupling limit of amplitudes in the multi-Regge regime through the solution of auxiliary Bethe Ansatz equations. We apply this procedure to compute the scattering amplitude for n=7 external gluons in different multi-Regge regions at infinite 't Hooft coupling. Our formulas …
We compute all $2\to5$ gluon scattering amplitudes in planar $\mathcal{N}=4$ super-Yang-Mills theory in the multi-Regge limit that is sensitive to the non-trivial ("long") Regge cut. We provide the amplitudes through four loops and to all logarithmic accuracy at leading power, in terms of single-valued multiple polylogarithms of two variables. To obtain these results, we leverage the function-level results for the amplitudes in the Steinmann cluster bootstrap. To high powers in the series expansion in the two variables, our results agree with the recently conjectured all-order central emission…
In light of the strong advances in understanding the mathematical structure of scattering amplitudes, we discuss the Regge limit of QCD and of the ${\cal N}=4$ Super Yang-Mills theory.
A generalization of the two-dimensional Yang-Mills and generalized Yang-Mills theory is introduced in which the building B-F theory is nonlocal in the auxiliary field. The classical and quantum properties of this nonlocal generalization are investigated and it is shown that for large gauge groups, there exist a simple correspondence between the properties a nonlocal theory and its corresponding local theory.
Using an infinite number of fields, we construct actions for D=4 self-dual Yang-Mills with manifest Lorentz invariance and for D=10 super-Yang-Mills with manifest super-Poincaré invariance. These actions are generalizations of the covariant action for the D=2 chiral boson which was first studied by McClain, Wu, Yu and Wotzasek.
We will discuss an integrable structure for weakly coupled superconformal Yang-Mills theories, describe certain equivalences for the Yangian algebra, and fill a technical gap in our previous study of this subject.
We propose an all-loop expression for scattering amplitudes in planar N=4 super Yang-Mills theory in multi-Regge kinematics valid for all multiplicities, all helicity configurations and arbitrary logarithmic accuracy. Our expression is arrived at from comparing explicit perturbative results with general expectations from the integrable structure of a closely related collinear limit. A crucial ingredient of the analysis is an all-order extension for the central emission vertex that we recently computed at next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy. As an application, we use our all-order formula to p…
The planar Yang-Mills theory in three spatial dimensions is examined in a particular representation which explicitly embodies factorization. The effective planar Yang-Mills theory Hamiltonian is constructed in this representation.
We analyse the OPE contribution of gluon bound states in the double scaling limit of the hexagonal Wilson loop in planar N=4 super Yang-Mills theory. We provide a systematic procedure for perturbatively resumming the contributions from single-particle bound states of gluons and expressing the result order by order in terms of two-variable polylogarithms. We also analyse certain contributions from two-particle gluon bound states and find that, after analytic continuation to the $2\to 4$ Mandelstam region and passing to multi-Regge kinematics (MRK), only the single-particle gluon bound states co…
Recent developments in the determination of the planar S-matrix of N=4 Super Yang-Mills are closely related to its Yangian symmetry. Here we provide evidence for a yet unobserved additional symmetry: the Yangian level-one helicity operator.
We study the symbol of the two-loop n-gluon MHV amplitude for all Mandelstam regions in multi-Regge kinematics in N=4 super Yang-Mills theory. While the number of distinct Mandelstam regions grows exponentially with n, the increase of independent symbols turns out to be merely quadratic. We uncover how to construct the symbols for any number of external gluons from just two building blocks which are naturally associated with the six- and seven-gluon amplitude, respectively. The second building block is entirely new, and in addition to its symbol, we also construct a prototype function that cor…
The BCFW recursion relation in $\mathcal{N}=4$ super-Yang-Mills theory is solved using Yang-Baxter $R$-operators in the NMHV sector. Explicit expressions for $\mathcal{R}$-invariants are obtained in terms of the chains of $R$-operators acting on an appropriate basic state.
The large-N behavior of Yang-Mills and generalized Yang-Mills theories in the double-scaling limit is investigated. By the double-scaling limit, it is meant that the area of the manifold on which the theory is defined, is itself a function of N. It is shown that phase transitions of different orders occur, depending on the functional dependence of the area on N. The finite-size scalings of the system are also investigated. Specifically, the dependence of the dominant representation on A, for large but finite N is determined.
We present new relations for scattering amplitudes of color ordered gluons and gravitons in Einstein-Yang-Mills theory. Tree-level amplitudes of arbitrary multiplicities and polarizations involving up to three gravitons and up to two color traces are reduced to partial amplitudes of pure Yang-Mills theory. In fact, the double-trace identities apply to Einstein-Yang-Mills extended by a dilaton and a B-field. Our results generalize recent work of Stieberger and Taylor for the single graviton case with a single color trace. As the derivation is made in the dimension-agnostic Cachazo-He-Yuan forma…
We analyze in an effective Lagrangian framework the connection between Super QCD (Super Yang Mills) and QCD (Yang Mills) by highlighting the crucial role that the zero modes play in the process of decoupling gluinos and squarks.
We show that the solutions of SU(2) Yang-Mills-dilation and Einstein-Yang-Mills-dilaton theories described in a sequence of papers by Kleihaus and Kunz are not regular in the gauge field part.
The existence of a "bonus" U(1) level-one Yangian symmetry of N=4 super-Yang-Mills has recently been proposed. We provide evidence for this proposal by constructing the BRST-invariant nonlocal charge in the pure spinor sigma model corresponding to this bonus level-one symmetry. We also construct analogous charges for bonus U(1) symmetries at all odd levels of the Yangian.
We define a natural generalized symmetry of the Yang-Mills equations as an infinitesimal transformation of the Yang-Mills field, built in a local, gauge invariant, and Poincaré invariant fashion from the Yang-Mills field strength and its derivatives to any order, which maps solutions of the field equations to other solutions. On the jet bundle of Yang-Mills connections we introduce a spinorial coordinate system that is adapted to the solution subspace defined by the Yang-Mills equations. In terms of this coordinate system the complete classification of natural symmetries is carried out in a st…
For semisimple groups, possibly multiplied by U(1)'s, the number of Yang-Mills gauge fields is equal to the number of generators of the group. In this paper, it is shown that, for non-semisimple groups, the number of Yang-Mills fields can be larger. These additional Yang-Mills fields are not irrelevant because they appear in the gauge transformations of the original Yang-Mills fields. Such non-semisimple Yang-Mills theories may lead to physical consequences worth studying. The non-semisimple group with only two generators that do not commute is studied in detail.
Contour gauges are discussed in the framework of canonical formalism. We find flux operator algebras with the structure constants of underlying Yang-Mills theory.
Using the Cachazo-He-Yuan (CHY) formalism, we prove a recursive expansion of tree level single trace Einstein-Yang-Mills (EYM) amplitudes with arbitrary number of gluons and gravitons, which is valid for general spacetime dimensions and any helicity configurations. The recursion is written in terms of fewer-graviton EYM amplitudes and pure Yang-Mills (YM) amplitudes, which can be further carried out until we reach an expansion in terms of pure YM amplitudes in Kleiss-Kuijf (KK) basis. Our expansion then generates naturally a spanning tree structure rooted on gluons whose vertices are gravitons…
This article contains lecture notes of M. Shifman from the Saalburg Summer School 2004. The topic is supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory, in particular the gluino condensate in pure SUSY gluodynamics.
We construct a four-parameter class of self-dual instanton solutions of the classical SU(2)-Yang-Mills equations in a closed Euclidean Robertson-Walker space-time.
Using the first order formalism (BFYM) of the Yang-Mills theory we show that it displays an embedded topological sector corresponding to the field content of the Topological Yang-Mills theory (TYM). This picture arises after a proper redefinition of the fields of BFYM and gives a clear representation of the non perturbative part of the theory in terms of the topological sector. In this setting the calculation of the $vev$ of a YM observable is translated into the calculation of a corresponding (non topological) quantity in TYM. We then compare the topological observables of TYM with a similar …
The large-group behavior of the nonlocal YM$_2$'s and gYM$_2$'s on a cylinder or a disk is investigated. It is shown that this behavior is similar to that of the corresponding local theory, but with the area of the cylinder replaced by an effective area depending on the dominant representation. The critical areas for nonlocal YM$_2$'s on a cylinder with some special bounary conditions are also obtained.
Recently, Witten proposed a topological string theory in twistor space that is dual to a weakly coupled gauge theory. In this lectures we will discuss aspects of the twistor string theory. Along the way we will learn new things about Yang-Mills scattering amplitudes. The string theory sheds light on Yang-Mills perturbation theory and leads to new methods for computing Yang-Mills scattering amplitudes.
Abelian potentials of pointlike moving sources are obtained from the nonstandard theory of Yang--Mills field. They are used for the construction of the time-symmetric and time-asymmetric Fokker-type action integrals describing the dynamics of two-particle system with confinement interaction. The time-asymmetric model is reformulated in the framework of the Hamiltonian formalism. The corresponding two-body problem is reduced to quadratures. The behaviour of Regge trajectories is estimated within the semiclassical consideration.
It is known that the Yangian of PSU(2,2|4) is a symmetry of the tree-level S-matrix of N=4 super Yang-Mills. On the other hand, the complete one-loop dilatation operator in the same theory commutes with the level-one Yangian generators only up to certain boundary terms found by Dolan, Nappi and Witten. Using a result by Zwiebel, we show how the Yangian symmetry of the tree-level S-matrix of N=4 super Yang-Mills implies precisely the Yangian invariance, up to boundary terms, of the one-loop dilatation operator.
We propose $N=2$ holomorphic Yang-Mills theory on compact Kähler manifolds and show that there exists a simple mapping from the $N=2$ topological Yang-Mills theory. It follows that intersection parings on the moduli space of Einstein-Hermitian connections can be determined by examining the small coupling behavior of the $N=2$ holomorphic Yang-Mills theory. This paper is a higher dimensional generalization of the Witten's work on physical Yang-Mills theory in two dimensions.
We conjecture that every rational Yangian invariant in N=4 SYM theory satisfies a recently introduced notion of cluster adjacency. We provide evidence for this conjecture by using the Sklyanin Poisson bracket on Gr(4,n) to check numerous examples.
The self-duality Yang-Mills equations in pseudoeuclidean spaces of dimensions $d\leq 8$ are investigated. New classes of solutions of the equations are found. Extended solutions to the D=10, N=1 supergravity and super Yang-Mills equations are constructed from these solutions.
Strongly self-dual Yang-Mills fields in even dimensional spaces are characterised by a set of constraints on the eigenvalues of the Yang-Mills fields $F_{μν}$. We derive a topological bound on ${\bf R}^8$, $\int_{M} ( F,F )^2 \geq k \int_{M} p_1^2$ where $p_1$ is the first Pontrjagin class of the SO(n) Yang-Mills bundle and $k$ is a constant. Strongly self-dual Yang-Mills fields realise the lower bound.
