Cusp anomalous dimension in maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory
Jan Kotanski
备注:
8 pages, 2 figures. Seminar talk presented at the XLVIII Cracow School of Theoretical Physics: "Aspects of Duality 2008", Zakopane, Poland, June 13-22, 2008 [v2: Added references]
The main features of the cusp anomalous dimension in N=4 supersymmetri c Yang-Mills theory are reviewed. Moreover, the strong coupling expansion of the cusp derived is presented.
We construct an exact analytical solution to the integral equation which is believed to describe logarithmic growth of the anomalous dimensions of high spin operators in planar N=4 super Yang-Mills theory and use it to determine the strong coupling expansion of the cusp anomalous dimension.
We determine the action for five-dimensional maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills in off-shell supergravity backgrounds. The resulting theory contains novel five-dimensional BF type couplings as well as cubic scalar interactions which vanish in flat space.
We make a preliminary algebraic study of supersymmetric deformations of N=1 Yang-Mills theory in dimension ten with an arbitrary gauge group. This is done in a context of Lie algebra deformation theory. The tangent space to the space of deformation is computed.
We formulate maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in five dimensions in light-cone superspace. The light-cone Hamiltonian is of the quadratic form and the theory can be understood as an oxidation of the N=4 Super Yang-Mills Theory in four dimensions. We specifically study three-point counterterms and show how these counterterms vanish on-shell. This study is a preliminary to set up the technique in order to study possible four-point counterterms.
Herein, we consider a topologically twisted version of maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in five dimensions which was introduced by Witten in 2011. We consider this theory on a five manifold of the form M_4 x I for M_4 an oriented Riemannian four manifold. The complete and unique action of the theory in bulk is written down and is shown to be invariant under two scalar supersymmetries.
In this note, we describe supersymmetric backgrounds for the four-dimensional maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. As an extension of the method of Festuccia and Seiberg to sixteen supercharges in four dimensions, we utilize the coupling of the gauge theory to maximally extended conformal supergravity. Included among the fields of the conformal supergravity multiplet is the complexified coupling parameter of the gauge theory; therefore, backgrounds with spacetime varying coupling--such as appear in F-theory and Janus configurations--are naturally included in this formalism. We demonstra…
A particular dimensional reduction of SU(2N) Yang--Mills theory on $Σ\times S^2$, with $Σ$ a Riemann surface, yields an $S(U(N) \times U(N))$ gauge theory on $Σ$, with a matrix Higgs field. The SU(2N) self-dual Yang--Mills equations reduce to Bogomolny equations for vortices on $Σ$. These equations are formally integrable if $Σ$ is the hyperbolic plane, and we present a subclass of solutions.
In this work we study the cusp anomalous dimension of the marginally deformed N=4 sYM theory. We find the expression of the cusp anomalous dimension both at the weak and strong coupling limits. On the gravity side we partially map the system of equations to that of undeformed N=4 sYM, by defining in the internal space an effective angle Δθ_{eff} which depends on the deformation parameter. The cusp anomalous dimension then can be read from that of the N=4 sYM theory, by using this effective angle instead of the usual angle of the undeformed 5-sphere. In the weak coupling regime we find no beta …
The question of whether BPS invariants are protected in maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories is investigated from the point of view of algebraic renormalisation theory. The protected invariants are those whose cohomology type differs from that of the action. It is confirmed that one-half BPS invariants ($F^4$) are indeed protected while the double-trace one-quarter BPS invariant ($d^2F^4$) is not protected at two loops in D=7, but is protected at three loops in D=6 in agreement with recent calculations. Non-BPS invariants, i.e. full superspace integrals, are also shown to be unprotecte…
The connection of maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory to the (2,0) theory in six dimensions has raised the possibility that it might be perturbatively ultraviolet finite in five dimensions. We test this hypothesis by computing the coefficient of the first potential ultraviolet divergence of planar (large N_c) maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in D = 5, which occurs at six loops. We show that the coefficient is nonvanishing. Furthermore, the numerical value of the divergence falls very close to an approximate exponential formula based on the coefficients of the divergences throu…
We present an expression for the leading-color (planar) four-loop four-point amplitude of N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in 4-2 e dimensions, in terms of eight separate integrals. The expression is based on consistency of unitarity cuts and infrared divergences. We expand the integrals around e=0, and obtain analytic expressions for the poles from 1/e^8 through 1/e^4. We give numerical results for the coefficients of the 1/e^3 and 1/e^2 poles. These results all match the known exponentiated structure of the infrared divergences, at four separate kinematic points. The value of the 1/e^2 c…
The collinear factorization properties of two-loop scattering amplitudes in dimensionally-regulated N=4 super-Yang-Mills theory suggest that, in the planar ('t Hooft) limit, higher-loop contributions can be expressed entirely in terms of one-loop amplitudes. We demonstrate this relation explicitly for the two-loop four-point amplitude and, based on the collinear limits, conjecture an analogous relation for n-point amplitudes. The simplicity of the relation is consistent with intuition based on the AdS/CFT correspondence that the form of the large N_c L-loop amplitudes should be simple enough t…
We present an integral representation for the parity-even part of the two-loop six-point planar NMHV amplitude in terms of Feynman integrals which have simple transformation properties under the dual conformal symmetry. We probe the dual conformal properties of the amplitude numerically, subtracting the known infrared divergences. We find that the subtracted amplitude is invariant under dual conformal transformations, confirming existing conjectures through two-loop order. We also discuss the all-loop structure of the six-point NMHV amplitude and give a parametrization whose dual conformal inv…
Integral invariants in maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories are discussed in spacetime dimensions $4\leq D\leq 10$ for $SU(k)$ gauge groups. It is shown that, in addition to the action, there are three special invariants in all dimensions. Two of these, the single- and double-trace $F^4$ invariants, are of Chern-Simons type in $D=9,10$ and BPS type in $D\leq 8$, while the third, the double-trace of two derivatives acting on $F^4$, can be expressed in terms of a gauge-invariant super-$D$-form in all dimensions. We show that the super-ten-forms for $D=10$ $F^4$ invariants have interestin…
We present the complete formula for the cusp anomalous dimension at four loops in QCD and in maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills. In the latter theory it is given by \begin{equation} Γ^{\rm}_{\rm cusp}\Big|_{α_s^4} = -\left( \frac{α_s N}π\right)^4 \left[ \frac{73 π^6}{20160} + \frac{ ζ_{3}^2}{8} + \frac{1}{N^2} \left( \frac{31π^6}{5040} + \frac{9 ζ_3^2}{4} \right) \right] \,.\nonumber \end{equation} Our approach is based on computing the correlation function of a rectangular light-like Wilson loop with a Lagrangian insertion, normalized by the expectation value of the Wilson loop. In maximally…
We construct lattice action for five-dimensional maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. This supersymmetric lattice formulation can be used to explore the non-perturbative regime of the continuum target theory, which has a known gravitational dual.
We reformulate 5D maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills in 4D Superspace, for a manifold with boundaries. We emphasise certain features and conventions necessary to allow for supersymmetric model building applications. Finally we apply the holographic interpretation of a slice of AdS and show how to generate Dirac soft masses between external source fields, as well as kinetic mixing, as a boundary effective action.
We study the S-matrix of planar $\mathcal{N}=4$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory when external momenta are restricted to a two-dimensional subspace of Minkowski space. We find significant simplifications and new, interesting structures for tree and loop amplitudes in two-dimensional kinematics; in particular, the higher-point amplitudes we consider can be obtained from those with lowest-points by a collinear uplifting. Based on a compact formula for one-loop N${}^2$MHV amplitudes, we use an equation proposed previously to compute, for the first time, the complete two-loop NMHV and three-loop M…
We provide details of the lattice construction of five-dimensional maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. The lattice theory is supersymmetric, gauge invariant and free from spectrum doublers. Such a supersymmetric lattice formulation is interesting as it can be used for non-perturbative explorations of the five-dimensional theory, which has a known gravitational dual.
We present an ansatz for the planar five-loop four-point amplitude in maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in terms of loop integrals. This ansatz exploits the recently observed correspondence between integrals with simple conformal properties and those found in the four-point amplitudes of the theory through four loops. We explain how to identify all such integrals systematically. We make use of generalized unitarity in both four and D dimensions to determine the coefficients of each of these integrals in the amplitude. Maximal cuts, in which we cut all propagators of a given integral, …
We compute the nonplanar contribution to the universal anomalous dimension of the SU(4)-singlet twist-two operators in N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory at four loops through Lorentz spin 18. From this, we numerically evaluate the nonplanar contribution to the four-loop lightlike cusp anomalous dimension and derive the transcendental $ζ_3$ and $ζ_5$ parts of the universal anomalous dimension for arbitrary Lorentz spin in analytic form. As for the lightlike cusp anomalous dimension and the $ζ_5$ part of the universal anomalous dimension, we confirm previous results.
We solve the superspace Bianchi identities for ten-dimensional supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory without imposing any kind of constraints apart from the standard conventional one. In this way we obtain a set of algebraic conditions on certain fields which in the on-shell theory are constructed as composite ones out of the physical fields. These conditions must hence be satisfied by any kind of theory in ten dimensions invariant under supersymmetry and some, abelian or non-abelian, gauge symmetry. Deformations of the ordinary SYM theory (as well as the fields) are identified as elements of a cer…
In this note we give evidence for an equality of the spectra, including wrapping, of the SU(2)-sector spin chain for real deformations beta and beta+1/L, in marginally beta-deformed N=4 Yang-Mills, which appears after relaxing the cyclicity constraint. Evidence for the equality is given by evaluating the first wrapping correction to the energy of the undeformed magnon of momentum pi, and the beta=1/2, physical magnon, for several spin chain lengths L. We also show that the term of maximal transcendentality coincides for both magnons to all L. As a by-product we provide an expression for the fi…
Positivity properties of observables in planar maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory
Max-Planck-Institut für Physik(马克斯·普朗克物理研究所);Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München(慕尼黑大学阿诺德·索末菲理论物理中心)
Maximally supersymmetric (p+1)-dimensional Yang-Mills theory at large N and finite temperature, with possibly compact spatial directions, has a rich phase structure. Strongly coupled phases may have holographic descriptions as black branes in various string duality frames, or there may be no gravity dual. In this paper we provide tools in the gauge theory which give a simple and unified picture of the various strongly coupled phases, and transitions between them. Building on our previous work we consider the effective theory describing the moduli of the gauge theory, which can be computed prec…
The light-like cusp anomalous dimension is a universal function that controls infrared divergences in quite general quantum field theories. In the maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory this function is fixed fully by integrability to the three-loop order. At four loops a non-planar correction appears which we obtain for the first time from a numerical computation of the Sudakov form factor. Key ingredients are widely applicable methods to control the number-theoretic aspects of the appearing integrals. Our result shows explicitly that quadratic Casimir scaling breaks down at four loops.
We study supersymmetric and super Poincaré invariant deformations of ten-dimensional super Yang-Mills theory and of its dimensional reductions. We describe all infinitesimal super Poincaré invariant deformations of equations of motion of ten-dimensional super Yang-Mills theory and its reduction to a point; we discuss the extension of them to formal deformations. Our methods are based on homological algebra, in particular, on the theory of L-infinity and A-infinity algebras. The exposition of this theory as well as of some basic facts about Lie algebra homology and Hochschild homology is given …
A scalar cubic action that classically reproduces the self-dual Yang--Mills equations is shown to generate one-loop QCD amplitudes for external gluon all with the same helicity. This result is related to the symmetries of the self-dual Yang--Mills equations.
We compute the next-to-MHV one-loop n-gluon amplitudes in N=4 super-Yang-Mills theory. These amplitudes contain three negative-helicity gluons and an arbitrary number of positive-helicity gluons, and are the first infinite series of amplitudes beyond the simplest, MHV, amplitudes. We also discuss some aspects of their twistor-space structure.
We give a representation of the parity-even part of the planar two-loop six-gluon MHV amplitude of N=4 super-Yang-Mills theory, in terms of loop-momentum integrals with simple dual conformal properties. We evaluate the integrals numerically in order to test directly the ABDK/BDS all-loop ansatz for planar MHV amplitudes. We find that the ansatz requires an additive remainder function, in accord with previous indications from strong-coupling and Regge limits. The planar six-gluon amplitude can also be compared with the hexagonal Wilson loop computed by Drummond, Henn, Korchemsky and Sokatchev i…
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.
Nonplanar Four-Loop Anomalous Dimensions of Twist-Two Operators in N=4 Super Yang-Mills Theory: Higher Moment, General Result, and Cusp Anomalous Dimension
Correlation functions of Wilson lines are relevant for describing the infrared structure of scattering amplitudes. We develop a new method for evaluating a wide class of such Wilson line integrals, and apply it to the calculation of the velocity-dependent cusp anomalous dimension in maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. We compute the four-loop non-planar correction in a recently introduced scaling limit. Moreover, we derive the full planar four-loop result by means of an ansatz which is based on the structure of known analytic results. We determine the coefficients in this ansatz by mak…
We conjecture a simple relationship between the one-loop maximally helicity violating gluon amplitudes of ordinary QCD (all helicities identical) and those of N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills (all but two helicities identical). Because the amplitudes in self-dual Yang Mills have been shown to be the same as the maximally helicity violating ones in QCD, this conjecture implies that they are also related to the maximally helicity violating ones of N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills. We have an explicit proof of the relation up to the six-point amplitude; for amplitudes with more external legs, it remain…
In this paper we study the supersymmetric generalization of the new soft theorem which was proposed by Cachazo and Strominger recently. At tree level, we prove the validity of the super soft theorems in both ${\cal N}=4$ super-Yang-Mills theory and ${\cal N}=8$ supergravity using super-BCFW recursion relations. We verify these theorems exactly by showing some examples.
The maximally chaotic dynamical systems (DS) are the systems which have nonzero Kolmogorov entropy. The Anosov C-condition defines a reach class of hyperbolic dynamical systems that have exponential instability of the phase trajectories and positive Kolmogorov entropy and are therefore maximally chaotic. The interest in Anosov-Kolmogorov systems is associated with the attempts to understand the relaxation phenomena, the foundation of the statistical mechanics, the appearance of turbulence in fluid dynamics, the non-linear dynamics of the Yang-Mills field, the N-body system in Newtonian gravity…
Maximally supersymmetric theories can be described by a single scalar superfield in light-cone superspace. When they are also (super)conformally invariant, they are uniquely specified by the form of the dynamical supersymmetry. We present an explicit derivation of the light-cone superspace form of the dynamical supersymmetry in the cases of ten- and four-dimensional super-Yang-Mills, and the three-dimensional Bagger-Lambert-Gustavsson theory, starting from the covariant formulation of these theories.
We summarize recent progress in lattice studies of four-dimensional N=4 supersymmetric Yang--Mills theory and present preliminary results from ongoing investigations. Our work is based on a construction that exactly preserves a single supersymmetry at non-zero lattice spacing, and we review a new procedure to regulate flat directions by modifying the moduli equations in a manner compatible with this supersymmetry. This procedure defines an improved lattice action that we have begun to use in numerical calculations. We discuss some highlights of these investigations, including the static potent…
We present evidence that loop amplitudes in maximally supersymmetric $\mathcal{N}=4$ Yang-Mills (SYM) beyond the planar limit share some of the remarkable structures of the planar theory. In particular, we show that through two loops, the four-particle amplitude in full $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM has only logarithmic singularities and is free of any poles at infinity---properties closely related to uniform transcendentality and the UV-finiteness of the theory. We also briefly comment on implications for maximal ($\mathcal{N}=8$) supergravity.
The cross or soft anomalous dimension matrix describes the renormalization of Wilson loops with a self-intersection and is an important object in the study of infrared divergences of scattering amplitudes. In this paper it is studied for the Maldacena--Wilson loop in N=4 supersymmetric Yang--Mills theory and Euclidean kinematics. We consider both the strong-coupling description in terms of minimal surfaces in AdS5 as well as the weak-coupling side up to the two-loop level. In either case, the coefficients of the cross anomalous dimension matrix can be expressed in terms of the cusp anomalous d…
A maximally supersymmetric configuration of super Yang-Mills living on a noncommutative torus corresponds to a constant curvature connection. On a noncommutative toroidal orbifold there is an additional constraint that the connection be equivariant. We study moduli spaces of (equivariant) constant curvature connections on noncommutative even-dimensional tori and on toroidal orbifolds. As an illustration we work out the cases of Z_{2} and Z_{4} orbifolds in detail. The results we obtain agree with a commutative picture describing systems of branes wrapped on cycles of the torus and branes stuck…
We calculate the anomalous dimension of the cusped Wilson loop in ${\cal N}=4$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory to order $λ^2$ ($λ=g^2_{YM}N$). We show that the cancellation between the diagrams with the three-point vertex and the self-energy insertion to the propagator which occurs for smooth Wilson loops is not complete for cusped loops, so that an anomaly term remains. This term contributes to the cusp anomalous dimension. The result agrees with the anomalous dimensions of twist-two conformal operators with large spin. We verify the loop equation for cusped loops to order $λ^2$, reproducing…
We compute the non-MHV one-loop seven-gluon amplitudes in N=4 super-Yang-Mills theory, which contain three negative-helicity gluons and four positive-helicity gluons. There are four independent color-ordered amplitudes, (- - - + + + +), (- - + - + + +), (- - + + -+ +) and (- + - + - + +). The MHV amplitudes containing two negative-helicity and five positive-helicity gluons were computed previously, so all independent one-loop seven-gluon helicity amplitudes are now known for this theory. We present partial information about an infinite sequence of next-to-MHV one-loop helicity amplitudes, with…
We present the details of the analytic calculation of the three-loop angle-dependent cusp anomalous dimension in QCD and its supersymmetric extensions, including the maximally supersymmetric $\mathcal{N}=4$ super Yang-Mills theory. The three-loop result in the latter theory is new and confirms a conjecture made in our previous paper. We study various physical limits of the cusp anomalous dimension and discuss its relation to the quark-antiquark potential including the effects of broken conformal symmetry in QCD. We find that the cusp anomalous dimension viewed as a function of the cusp angle a…
An improved method for extracting infrared exponents from functional equations is presented. The generalizations introduced allow for an analysis of quite complicated systems such as Yang-Mills theory in the maximally Abelian gauge. Assuming the absence of cancellations in the appropriately renormalized integrals the only consistent scaling solution yields an infrared enhanced diagonal gluon propagator in support of the Abelian dominance hypothesis. This is explicitly shown for SU(2) and subsequently verified for SU(N), where additional interactions exist. We also derive the most infrared dive…
We elaborate the two-fold simplex-like structures of tree amplitudes in planar maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills (N=4 SYM), through its connection to a mathematical structure known as the positive Grassmannian. Exploiting the reduced Grassmannian geometry and the matrix form of on-shell recursion relation in terms of super momentum twistors, we manifest that tree amplitudes can be remarkably refined via the essential building blocks named as fully-spanning cells. For a fixed number of negative helicities, an amplitude can be entirely captured by finite, compact information of the relevant fu…
We examine the relationships between three proposals for the six-dimensional (2,0) theory: the DLCQ of hep-th/9707079, hep-th/9712117, the deconstruction prescription of hep-th/0110146, and the five-dimensional maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills proposal of 1012.2880, 1012.2882. We show that hep-th/0110146 gives a deconstruction of five-dimensional maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills. The proposal of hep-th/9707079, hep-th/9712117 uses a subset of the degrees of freedom of five-dimensional Yang-Mills and we show that compactification of it on a circle of finite radius agrees with the DLCQ ari…
In this note we derive $N^3$-behavior at large t' Hooft coupling for the free energy of 5D maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory on $S^5$. We also consider a $Z_k$ quiver of this model, as well as a model with $M$ hypermultiplets in the fundamental representation. We compare the results to the supergravity description and comment on their relation.
Higgs plus multi-gluon amplitudes in QCD can be computed in an effective Lagrangian description. In the infinite top-mass limit, an amplitude with a Higgs and $n$ gluons is computed by the form factor of the operator ${\rm Tr}\, F^2$. Up to two loops and for three gluons, its maximally transcendental part is captured entirely by the form factor of the protected stress tensor multiplet operator $\mathcal{T}_2$ in $\mathcal{N}=4$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. The next order correction involves the calculation of the form factor of the higher-dimensional, trilinear operator ${\rm Tr}\, F^3$. …
The study of form factors has many phenomenologically interesting applications, one of which is Higgs plus gluon amplitudes in QCD. Through effective field theory techniques these are related to form factors of various operators of increasing classical dimension. In this paper we extend our analysis of the first finite top-mass correction, arising from the operator ${\rm Tr} (F^3)$, from $\mathcal{N}=4$ super Yang-Mills to theories with $\mathcal{N}<4$, for the case of three gluons and up to two loops. We confirm our earlier result that the maximally transcendental part of the associated Catan…
The cusp anomalous dimension is a ubiquitous quantity in four-dimensional gauge theories, ranging from QCD to maximally supersymmetric N=4 Yang-Mills theory, and it is one of the best investigated observables in the AdS/CFT correspondence. In planar N=4 SYM theory, its perturbative expansion at weak coupling has a finite radius of convergence while at strong coupling it admits an expansion in inverse powers of the 't Hooft coupling which is given by a non-Borel summable asymptotic series. We study the cusp anomalous dimension in the transition regime from strong to weak coupling and argue that…
We analyze the classical and quantum vacua of 2d $\mathcal{N}=(8,8)$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory with $SU(N)$ and $U(N)$ gauge group, describing the worldvolume interactions of $N$ parallel D1-branes with flat transverse directions $\mathbb{R}^8$. We claim that the IR limit of the $SU(N)$ theory in the superselection sector labeled $M \pmod{N}$ --- identified with the internal dynamics of $(M,N)$-string bound states of Type IIB string theory --- is described by the symmetric orbifold $\mathcal{N}=(8,8)$ sigma model into $(\mathbb{R}^8)^{D-1}/\mathbb{S}_D$ when $D=\gcd(M,N)>1$, and by a si…