We argue, that the multi-particle scattering amplitudes in N=4 SUSY at large $N_c$ and in the multi-Regge kinematics for some physical regions have the high energy behavior appearing from the contribution of the Mandelstam cuts in the corresponding $t$-channel partial waves. The Mandelstam cuts correspond to gluon composite states in the adjoint representation of the gauge group $SU(N_c)$. The hamiltonian for these states in the leading logarithmic approximation coincides with the local hamiltonian of an integrable open spin chain. We construct the corresponding wave functions using the integrals of motion and the Baxter-Sklyanin approach.
We suggest the brane interpretation of the integrable dynamics behind the exact solution to the N=2 SUSY YM theory. Degrees of freedom of the Calogero type integrable system responsible for the appearance of the spectral Riemann surfaces originate from the collective coordinates of the dynamical branes. The second Whitham type integrable system corresponds to the low energy scattering of branes similar to the scattering of the magnetic monopoles.
We discuss the brane interpretation of the integrable dynamics behind the exact solution to the N=2 SUSY YM theory. Degrees of freedom in the first integrable system responsible for the spectral Riemann surfaces comes from the hidden Higgs branch of the moduli space. The second integrable system of the Whitham type yields the dynamics on the Coulomb branch and can be considered as the scattering of branes.
The quantum SUSY N=1 hierarchy based on $sl(2|1)^{(2)}$ twisted affine superalgebra is considered. The construction of the corresponding Baxter's Q-operators and fusion relations is outlined. The relation with the superconformal field theory is discussed.
The new method based on the SUSY algebra with supercharges of higher order in derivatives is proposed to search for dynamical symmetry operators in 2-dim quantum and classical systems. These symmetry operators arise when closing the SUSY algebra for a wide set of potentials. In some cases they are of 2-nd order in derivatives. The particular solutions are obtained also for potentials accepting symmetry operators of 4-th order. The investigation of quasiclassical limit of the SUSY algebra yields new classical integrals of motion for a certain type of systems which are polynomials of 4-th order …
We suggest that RG flows in the N=2 SUSY YM theories are governed by the pair of the integrable systems. The main dynamical ingredient amounts from the interaction of the small size instantons with the regulator degrees of freedom. The relation with the bulk/boundary correspondence is discussed.
We combine recent applications of the two-dimensional quantum inverse scattering method to the scattering amplitude problem in four-dimensional N=4 Super Yang-Mills theory. Integrability allows us to obtain a general, explicit method for the derivation of the Yangian invariants relevant for tree-level scattering amplitudes in the N=4 model.
We review current efficient techniques for the construction of multi-leg and multi-loop on-shell scattering amplitudes in supersymmetric gauge theories. Examples in the maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in four dimensions are included.
We exploit the tree level bosonic 4-particle scattering amplitudes in D=11 supergravity to construct the bosonic part of a linearized supersymmetry-, coordinate- and gauge-invariant. By differentiation, this invariant can be promoted to be the natural lowest (two-loop) order counterterm. Its existence implies that the perturbative supersymmetry does not protect this ultimate supergravity from infinities, given also the recently demonstrated divergence of its 4-graviton amplitude.
We investigate analytic properties of the six point planar amplitude in N=4 SUSY at the multi-Regge kinematics for final state particles. For inelastic processes the Steinmann relations play an important role because they give a possibility to fix the phase structure of the Regge pole and Mandelstam cut contributions. These contributions have the Moebius invariant form in the transverse momentum subspace. The analyticity and factorization constraints allow us to reproduce the two-loop correction to the 6-point BDS amplitude in N=4 SUSY obtained earlier in the leading logarithmic approximation …
We review the computation of scattering amplitudes of planar maximally super-symmetric Yang-Mills at strong coupling. By using the AdS/CFT duality the problem boils down to the computation of the area of certain minimal surfaces on AdS. The integrability of the model can then be efficiently used in order to give an answer for the problem in terms of a set of integral equations.
We discuss the properties of scattering amplitudes in a conformal bi-scalar fishnet theory that previously appeared in the study of integrable deformations of $\mathcal N=4$ SYM. In distinction with the latter theory, the scattering amplitudes in the conformal fishnet theory do not suffer from infrared divergences and possess enhanced symmetries. We demonstrate that for the simplest four-particle scattering the single- and double-trace partial amplitudes can be computed for arbitrary coupling in the leading color approximation. We also review the invariance of single-trace components of multi-…
Quantum mechanical models with extended supersymmetry find interesting applications in worldline approaches to relativistic field theories. In this paper we consider one-dimensional nonlinear sigma models with O(N) extended supersymmetry on the worldline, which are used in the study of higher spin fields on curved backgrounds. We calculate the transition amplitude for euclidean times (i.e. the heat kernel) in a perturbative expansion, using both canonical methods and path integrals. The latter are constructed using three different regularization schemes, and the corresponding counterterms that…
We discuss gluon scattering amplitudes/null-polygonal Wilson loops of N = 4 super Yang-Mills theory at strong coupling based on the gauge/string duality and its underlying integrability. We focus on the amplitudes/Wilson loops corresponding to the minimal surfaces in AdS_3, which are described by the thermodynamic Bethe ansatz equations of the homogeneous sine-Gordon model. Using conformal perturbation theory and an interesting relation between the g-function (boundary entropy) and the T-function, we derive analytic expansions around the limit where the Wilson loops become regular-polygonal. W…
Ward identities of SUSY and R-symmetry relate n-point amplitudes in supersymmetric theories. We review recent work in which these Ward identities are solved in N=4 SYM and N=8 supergravity. The solution, valid at both tree and loop level, expresses any (Next-to)^K MHV superamplitude in terms of a basis of ordinary amplitudes. Basis amplitudes are classified by semi-standard tableaux of rectangular N-by-K Young diagrams. The SUSY Ward identities also impose constraints on the matrix elements of candidate ultraviolet counterterms in N=8 supergravity, and they can be studied using superamplitude …
We review the theoretical approaches for investigations of the high energy hadron-hadron scattering in the Regge kinematics. It is demonstrated, that the gluon in QCD is reggeized and the Pomeron is a composite state of the reggeized gluons. Remarkable properties of the BFKL equation for the Pomeron wave function in QCD and supersymmetric gauge theories are outlined. Due to the AdS/CFT correspondence the BFKL Pomeron is equivalent to the reggeized graviton in the extended N=4 SUSY. The properties of the maximal transcendentality and integrability are realized in this model. The BDS multi-gluon…
We explore tree-level amplitude relations for SU(N)xSU(M) bi-fundamental matter theories. Embedding the group-theory structure in a Lie three-algebra, we derive Kleiss-Kuijf-like relations for bi-fundamental matter theories in general dimension. We investigate the three-algebra color-kinematics duality for these theories. Unlike the Yang-Mills two-algebra case, the three-algebra Bern-Carrasco-Johansson relations depend on the spacetime dimension and on the detailed symmetry properties of the structure constants. We find the presence of such relations in three and two dimensions, and absence in…
Scattering amplitudes in planar N=4 super Yang-Mills theory reveal a remarkable symmetry structure. In addition to the superconformal symmetry of the Lagrangian of the theory, the planar amplitudes exhibit a dual superconformal symmetry. The presence of this additional symmetry imposes strong restrictions on the amplitudes and is connected to a duality relating scattering amplitudes to Wilson loops defined on polygonal light-like contours. The combination of the superconformal and dual superconformal symmetries gives rise to a Yangian, an algebraic structure which is known to be related to the…
We use supersymmetric Ward identities to relate multi-gluon helicity amplitudes involving a pair of massive quarks to amplitudes with massive scalars. This allows to use the recent results for scalar amplitudes with an arbitrary number of gluons obtained by on-shell recursion relations to obtain scattering amplitudes involving top quarks.
In this paper we numerically demonstrate that massless two-dimensional QCD is not integrable. To this aim, we explicitly solve the 't Hooft integral equation for bound states by an adaptive spline procedure, and compute the decay amplitudes. These amplitudes significantly differ from zero except in all cases in which the decay also produces a pion.
A brief overview is given of recent developments and fresh ideas at the intersection of PT and/or CPT-symmetric quantum mechanics with supersymmetric quantum mechanics (SUSY QM). We study the consequences of the assumption that the "charge" operator C is represented in a differential-operator form. Besides the freedom allowed by the Hermiticity constraint for the operator CP, encouraging results are obtained in the second-order case. The integrability of intertwining relations proves to match the closure of nonlinear SUSY algebra. In an illustration, our CPT-symmetric SUSY QM leads to non-Herm…
We discuss the stringy properties of high-energy QCD using its hidden integrability in the Regge limit and on the light-cone. It is shown that multi-colour QCD in the Regge limit belongs to the same universality class as superconformal $\cal{N}$=2 SUSY YM with $N_f=2N_c$ at the strong coupling orbifold point. The analogy with integrable structure governing the low energy sector of $\cal{N}$=2 SUSY gauge theories is used to develop the brane picture for the Regge limit. In this picture the scattering process is described by a single M2 brane wrapped around the spectral curve of the integrable s…
In 2008, Aharony, Bergman, Jafferis, and Maldacena (ABJM) discovered a three-dimensional Chern-Simons theory with N = 6 supersymmetry and conjectured that in a certain limit, this theory is dual to type IIA string theory on AdS4xCP3. Since then, a great deal of evidence has been accumulated which suggests that the ABJM theory is integrable in the planar limit. Integrability is a very useful property that allows many physical observables, such as anomalous dimensions and scattering amplitudes, to be computed efficiently. In the first half of this thesis, we will explain how to use integrabilty …
We perform an analytic continuation of the two-loop remainder function for the six-point planar MHV amplitude in N=4 SUSY, found by Goncharov, Spradlin, Vergu and Volovich from the light-like Wilson loop representation. The remainder function is continued into a physical region, where all but two energy invariants are negative. It turns out to be pure imaginary in the multi-Regge kinematics, which is in an agreement with the predictions based on the Steinmann relations for the Regge poles and Mandelstam cut contributions. The leading term reproduces correctly the expression calculated by one o…
We have calculated the high spin parton splitting amplitudes postulating the Yangian symmetry of the scattering amplitudes for tensorgluons. The resulting splitting amplitudes coincide with the earlier calculations, which were based on the BCFW recursion relations. The resulting formula unifies all known splitting probabilities found earlier in gauge field theories. It describes splitting probabilities for integer and half-integer spin particles. We also checked that the splitting probabilities fulfil generalised Kounnas-Ross N=1 supersymmetry relations hinting to the fact that the underlying …
We study the cancellations among Feynman diagrams that implement the Ward and Slavnov-Taylor identities corresponding to the conserved supersymmetry current in supersymmetric quantum field theories. In particular, we show that the Faddeev-Popov ghosts of gauge- and supersymmetries never decouple from the physical fields, even for abelian gauge groups. The supersymmetric Slavnov-Taylor identities provide efficient consistency checks for automatized calculations and can verify the supersymmetry of Feynman rules and the numerical stability of phenomenological predictions simultaneously.
We study restrictions on scattering amplitudes on the worldvolume of branes and strings (such as confining flux tubes in QCD) implied by the target space Poincare symmetry. We focus on exploring the conditions for the string worldsheet theory to be integrable. We prove that for a higher dimensional membrane the scattering amplitudes for the translational Goldstone modes ("branons") are double soft. At one-loop double softness is generically violated for the string worldsheet scattering as a consequence of collinear singularities. Violation of double softness implies in turn the breakdown of in…
We attempt to systematically derive tree-level scattering amplitudes in four-dimensional, planar, maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory from integrability. We first review the connections between integrable spin chains, Yangian invariance, and the construction of such invariants in terms of Grassmannian contour integrals. Building upon these results, we equip a class of Grassmannian integrals for general symmetry algebras with unitary integration contours. These contours emerge naturally by paying special attention to the proper reality conditions of the algebras. Specializing to psu(2,2|…
Conventional wisdom says that the simpler the Lagrangian of a theory the simpler its perturbation theory, but an increased understanding of the structure of the S-matrix in gauge theories and gravity has been pointing to the opposite conclusion. In this paper we suggest that N=8 SUGRA has the simplest interacting S-matrix in 4D. Using Grassmann coherent states for external particles shows that amplitudes with maximal SUSY are smooth objects, with the action of SUSY manifest. We show that all tree amplitudes in N=4 SYM and N=8 SUGRA vanish at (supersymmetric) infinite complex momentum, and can …
These notes accompany an introductory lecture course on the twistor approach to supersymmetric gauge theories aimed at early-stage PhD students. It was held by the author at the University of Cambridge during the Michaelmas term in 2009. The lectures assume a working knowledge of differential geometry and quantum field theory. No prior knowledge of twistor theory is required.
We consider evolution equations describing the scale dependence of the wave function of a baryon containing an infinitely heavy quark and a pair of light quarks at small transverse separations, which is the QCD analogue of the helium atom.The evolution equations depend on the relative helicity of the light quarks. For the aligned helicities, we find that the equation is completely integrable, that is it has a nontrivial integral of motion, and obtain exact analytic expressions for the eigenfunctions and the anomalous dimensions. The evolution equation for anti-aligned helicities contains an ex…
Constraints of the osp(6|4) symmetry on tree-level scattering amplitudes in N=6 superconformal Chern-Simons theory are derived. Supplemented by Feynman diagram calculations, solutions to these constraints, namely the four- and six-point superamplitudes, are presented and shown to be invariant under Yangian symmetry. This introduces integrability into the amplitude sector of the theory.
Adapting the powerful integrability-based formalism invented previously for the calculation of gluon scattering amplitudes at strong coupling, we develop a method for computing the holographic three point functions for the large spin limit of Gubser-Klebanov- Polyakov (GKP) strings. Although many of the ideas from the gluon scattering problem can be transplanted with minor modifications, the fact that the information of the external states is now encoded in the singularities at the vertex insertion points necessitates several new techniques. Notably, we develop a new generalized Riemann biline…
Pentagon Operator Product Expansion provides a non-perturbative framework for analysis of scattering amplitudes in planar maximally supersymmetric gauge theory building up on their duality to null polygonal super Wilson loop and integrability. In this paper, we construct a systematic expansion for the main ingredients of the formalism, i.e., pentagons, at large 't Hooft coupling as a power series in its inverse value. The calculations are tested against relations provided by the so-called Descent Equation which mixes transitions at different perturbative orders. We use leading order results to…
We examine the problem of integrability of two-dimensional Hamiltonian systems by means of separation of variables. The systematic approach to construction of the special non-pure coordinate separation of variables for certain natural two-dimensional Hamiltonians is presented. The relations with SUSY quantum mechanics are discussed.
In closed string vacua, ergodicity of unipotent flows provide a key for relating vacuum stability to the UV behavior of spectra and interactions. Infrared finiteness at all genera in perturbation theory can be rephrased in terms of cancelations involving only tree-level closed strings scattering amplitudes. This provides quantitative results on the allowed deviations from supersymmetry on perturbative stable vacua. From a mathematical perspective, diagrammatic relations involving closed string amplitudes suggest a relevance of unipotent flows dynamics for the Schottky problem and for the const…
We calculate the thermal partition function of DLCQ superstring on the maximally supersymmetric pp-wave background, which is realized as the Penrose limit of orbifolded $AdS_5\times S^5$ and known to be dual to the $\mathcal{N}=2$ ``large'' quiver gauge theory as shown by S. Mukhi, M. Rangamani and E. Verlinde, hep-th/0204147. Making use of the path-integral technique, we derive the manifestly modular invariant expression and show the equivalence with the free energy of second quantized free superstring on this background. The ``virtual strings'' wound around the temporal circle play essential…
We investigate the perturbative integrability of massive (1+1)-dimensional bosonic quantum field theories, focusing on the conditions for them to have a purely elastic S-matrix, with no particle production and diagonal scattering, at tree level. For theories satisfying what we call `simply-laced scattering conditions', by which we mean that poles in inelastic $2$ to $2$ processes cancel in pairs, and poles in allowed processes are only due to one on-shell propagating particle at a time, the requirement that all inelastic amplitudes must vanish is shown to imply the so-called area rule, connect…
We translate between different formulations of Yangian invariants relevant for the computation of tree-level scattering amplitudes in N=4 super-Yang--Mills theory. While the R-operator formulation allows to relate scattering amplitudes to structures well known from integrability, it can equally well be connected to the permutations encoded by on-shell graphs.
After a brief review of the BFKL approach to Regge processes in QCD and in supersymmetric (SUSY) gauge theories we propose a strategy for calculating the next-to-next-to-leading order corrections to the BFKL kernel. They can be obtained in terms of various cross-sections for Reggeized gluon interactions. The corresponding amplitudes can be calculated in the framework of the effective action for high energy scattering. In the case of N=4 SUSY it is also possible to use the Bern-Dixon-Smirnov (BDS) ansatz. For this purpose the analytic properties of the BDS amplitudes at high energies are invest…
We show that Brodsky-Lepage evolution equation for the leading twist spin 3/2 baryon distribution amplitude is completely integrable and reduces to the three-particle XXX_{s=-1} Heisenberg spin chain. Trajectories of the anomalous dimensions are identified and calculated using the 1/N expansion. Extending this result, we prove integrability of the evolution equations for twist 3 quark-gluon operators in the large N_c limit and derive explicit expressions for the corresponding integrals of motion.
Integrable Quantum Field Theories can be solved exactly using bootstrap techniques based on their elastic and factorisable S-matrix. While knowledge of the scattering amplitudes reveals the exact spectrum of particles and their on-shell dynamics, the expression of the matrix elements of the various operators allows the reconstruction of off-shell quantities such as two-point correlation functions with a high level of precision. In this review, we summarise results relevant to the contact point between theory and experiment providing a number of quantities that can be computed theoretically wit…
We study the first non-planar correction to gluon scattering amplitudes in ${\cal N}=4$ SYM theory. The correction takes the form of a double trace partial amplitude and is suppressed by one power of $1/N$ with respect to the leading single trace contribution. We extend the duality between planar scattering amplitudes and null polygonal Wilson loops to the double trace amplitude. The new duality relates the amplitude to the correlation function of two infinite null polygonal Wilson lines that are subject to a quantum periodicity constraint. We test the duality perturbatively at one-loop order …
Combining the Berends-Giele and on-shell recursion relations we obtain an extremely compact expression for the scattering amplitude of a complex scalar-antiscalar pair and an arbitrary number of positive helicity gluons. This is one of the basic building blocks for constructing other helicity configurations from recursion relations. We also show explicity that the all positive helicity gluons amplitude for heavy fermions is proportional to the scalar one, confirming in this way the recently advocated SUSY-like Ward identities relating both amplitudes.
We apply on-shell and integrability methods that have been developed in the context of scattering amplitudes in N=4 SYM theory to tree-level form factors of this theory. Focussing on the colour-ordered super form factors of the chiral part of the stress-tensor multiplet as an example, we show how to systematically construct on-shell diagrams for these form factors with the minimal form factor as further building block in addition to the three-point amplitudes. Moreover, we obtain analytic representations in terms of Graßmannian integrals in spinor helicity, twistor and momentum twistor variabl…
We compute the tree level 4-particle bosonic scattering amplitudes in D=11 supergravity. By construction, they are part of a linearized supersymmetry-, coordinate- and 3-form gauge-invariant. While this on-shell invariant is nonlocal, suitable SUSY-preserving differentiations turn it into a local one with correct dimension to provide a natural lowest (two-loop) order counterterm candidate. Its existence shows explicitly that no symmetries protect this ultimate supergravity from the nonrenormalizability of its lower-dimensional counterparts.
In these notes we review the S-matrix theory in (1+1)-dimensional integrable models, focusing mainly on the relativistic case. Once the main definitions and physical properties are introduced, we discuss the factorization of scattering processes due to integrability. We then focus on the analytic properties of the two-particle scattering amplitude and illustrate the derivation of the S-matrices for all the possible bound states using the so-called bootstrap principle. General algebraic structures underlying the S-matrix theory and its relation with the form factors axioms are briefly mentioned…
We compute the $2\rightarrow 2$ gravitino scattering amplitudes at tree level in supergravity theories where supersymmetry is spontaneously broken. In the unitary gauge, the gravitino becomes massive (of mass $m_{3/2}$) by absorbing the Goldstino, and the scattering amplitudes of its longitudinal polarisations grow with energy as $κ^2 E^4/m_{3/2}^2$, signaling a potential breakdown of unitarity at a scale $Λ^2\sim m_{3/2}/κ\sim M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}^2$. As we show explicitly in the Polonyi model, this leading term is cancelled by the contributions coming from the scalar partner of the Goldstino (s…
We consider the QCD scattering amplitudes at high energies sqrt{s} and fixed momentum transfers sqrt{-t} in the leading logarithmic approximation at a non-zero temperature T in the t-channel. It is shown that the BFKL Hamiltonian has the property of holomorphic separability. The Pomeron wave function for arbitrary T is calculated using an integral of motion. In multi-colour QCD, the holomorphic Hamiltonian for n-reggeized gluons at temperature T is shown to coincide with the local Hamiltonian of an integrable Heisenberg model and can be obtained from the T=0 Hamiltonian by an unitary transform…
The maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in four-dimensional Minkowski space is an exceptional model of mathematical physics. Even more so in the planar limit, where the theory is believed to be integrable. In particular, the tree-level scattering amplitudes were shown to be invariant under the Yangian of the superconformal algebra psu(2,2|4). This infinite-dimensional symmetry is a hallmark of integrability. In this dissertation we explore connections between these amplitudes and integrable models. Our aim is to lay foundations for an efficient integrability-based computation of amplitu…
