Ward-Takahashi identities are nonperturbative relations between correlation functions and arising from symmetries in quantum and statistical fields theories, as Noether currents conservation for classical theories. Since their historical origin, these identities were considered to prove the exact relation between counter-terms to all order of the perturbative expansion. Recently they have been considered in relation with nonperturbative renormalization group aspects for some classes of quantum field theories namely tensorial group field theories and matrix models, both characterized by a specific non-locality in their interactions, and expected to provide discrete models for quantum gravity. In this review, we summarize the state of the art, focusing on the conceptual aspects rather than technical subtleties, and provide a unified reflection on this novel and promising way of investigation. We attached great importance to the pedagogy and the self-consistency of the presentation.
We rederive the $w_\infty$ Ward identities, starting from the existence of trivial linearized gauge invariances, and using the method of canceled propagators in the operator formalism. Recursion relations for certain classes of correlation functions are derived, and these correlation function are calculated exactly. We clarify the relation of these results with another derivation of the Ward identities, which relies directly on charge conservation. We also emphasize the importance of the kinematics of canceled propagators in ensuring that the Ward identities are non-trivial. Finally, we sketch…
We utilise a non-local gauge transform which renders the entire action of SUSY QED invariant and respects the SUSY algebra modulo the gauge-fixing condition, to derive two- and three-point ghost-free SUSY Ward identities in SUSY QED. We use the cluster decomposition principle to find the Green's function Ward identities and then takes linear combinations of the latter to derive identities for the proper functions.
The Ward-Takahashi identities in large N field theories are expressed in a simple form using master fields. Operators appearing in these expressions are found to be generators of symmetry transformations acting on the master fields.
In this note we show how Ward identities may be derived for a quantum field theory dual of a string theory using the AdS/CFT correspondence. In particular associated with any gauge symmetry of the bulk supergravity theory there is a corresponding constraint equation. Writing this constraint in Hamilton-Jacobi form gives a generating functional for Ward identities in the dual QFT. We illustrate the method by considering various examples.
Higher order conservation laws, associated with conserved antisymmetric tensors $j^{μ_1 ... μ_k}$ fulfilling $\partial_{μ_1} j^{μ_1 ... μ_k} \approx 0$, are shown to define rigid symmetries of the master equation. They thus lead to independent Ward identities which are explicitly derived.
We investigate the Ward identities of the $W_{\infty}$ symmetry in the Liouville theory coupled to the $(p,q)$ conformal matter. The correlation functions are defined by applying the analytic continuation procedure for the matter sector as well as the Liouville one. We then find that the Ward identities are equivalent to the $W_q$ algebra constraints deduced from the matrix model.
The connection is obtained between Ward identities and W-constraints in Generalized Kontsevich Model with the potential $X^4/4$. We show that Ward identities include W-constraints (and do not include any other constraints) for this potential and make some observations in favour of the same connection for the model with the potential of the form $X^{(K+1)}/(K+1)$ for any $K\geq 2$.
I study the Ward identities of the $w_\infty$ symmetry of the two-dimensional string theory. It is found that, not just an isolated vertex operator, but also a number of vertex operators colliding at a point can produce local charge non-conservation. The structure of all such contact terms is determined. As an application, I calculate all the non-vanishing bulk tachyon amplitudes directly through the Ward identities for a Virasoro subalgebra of the $w_\infty$.
A reformulation of the superconformal Ward identities that combines all the superconformal currents and the associated parameters in one multiplet is given for theories with rigid N=1 or N=2 supersymmetry. This form of the Ward Identities is applied to spontaneously broken N=2 Yang-Mills theory and used to derive a condition on the low energy effective action. This condition is satisfied by the solution proposed by Seiberg and Witten.
The existence of a ground ring of ghost number zero operators in the chiral BRST cohomology of the N=2 string is used to derive an infinite set of Ward identities for the closed-string scattering amplitudes at arbitrary genus. These identities are sufficient to rederive the well known vanishing theorem for loop amplitudes with more than three external legs.
Celestial holography promisingly reformulates the scattering amplitude holographically in terms of celestial conformal field theory living at null infinity. Recently, an infinite-dimensional symmetry algebra was discovered in Einstein-Yang-Mills theory. The starting point in the derivation is the celestial OPE of two soft currents, and the key ingredient is the summation of $\overline{SL(2,\mathbb R)}$ descendants in OPE. In this paper, we consider the supersymmetric Einstein-Yang-Mills theory and obtain the supersymmetric extension of the holographic symmetry algebra. Furthermore, we derive i…
We show how Supersymmetric Ward identities can be used to obtain amplitudes involving gluinos or adjoint scalars from purely gluonic amplitudes. We obtain results for all one-loop six-point NMHV amplitudes in $\NeqFour$ Super Yang-Mills theory which involve two gluinos or two scalar particles. More general cases are also discussed.
Starting from the effective action of high energy QCD we derive Ward identities for Green's functions of reggeized gluons. They follow from the gauge invariance of the effective action, and allow to derive new representations of amplitudes containing physical particles as well as reggeized gluons. We explicitly demonstrate their validity for the BFKL kernel, and we present a new derivation of the kernel.
W_4 gravity is treated algebraically, represented by a set of transformations on classical fields. The Ward identities of the theory are determined by requiring the algebra to close. The general forms for the anomalies are found by looking for solutions to the Wess-Zumino consistency conditions, and some specific cases are considered.
We study the issue of symmetries and associated Ward-like identities in the context of two-particle-irreducible (2PI) functional techniques for abelian gauge theories. In the 2PI framework, the $n$-point proper vertices of the theory can be obtained in various different ways which, although equivalent in the exact theory, differ in general at finite approximation order. We derive generalized (2PI) Ward identities for these various $n$-point functions and show that such identities are exactly satisfied at any approximation order in 2PI QED. In particular, we show that 2PI-resummed vertex functi…
Quantum Dirac constraints in generic constrained system are solved by directly calculating in the one-loop approximation the path integral with relativistic gauge fixing procedure. The calculations are based on the reduction algorithms for functional determinants extended to gauge theories. Explicit mechanism of transition from relativistic gauge conditions to unitary gauges, participating in the construction of this solution, is revealed by the method of Ward identities.
A gap in the mathematical logic in derivations in quantum field theory arises as consequence of variation before quantization. To close this gap the present paper introduces a mathematically rigorous variational calculus for operator fields. Using quantization before variation it is demonstrated that the so-called naive results are correct; in particular both Noether's theorem and the Ward-Takahashi identities retain full validity in quantum field theory.
We derive relations between viscosities and momentum conductivity in $2+1$ dimensions by finding a generalization of holographic Ward identities for the energy-momentum tensor. The generalization is novel in the sense that it goes beyond the usual identities obtained from holographic renormalization. Our results are consistent with previous field theory analysis. The main tools we use are a constant `probability current' in the gravity dual, that we are able to define for any system of linear ODEs, and parity symmetry.
The structures and the associated gauge algebra of ABJM theory in ${\cal N}=1$ superspace are reviewed. We derive the Ward identities of the theory in the class of Lorentz-type gauges at quantum level to justify the renormalizability of the model. We compute the Nielsen identities for the two-point functions of the theory with the help of enlarged BRST transformation. The identities are derived in ABJM theory to ensure the gauge independence of the physical poles of the Green's functions.
We study Ward identities for simple processes with external gauge bosons in the time-ordered perturbation theory approach to time-like noncommutative gauge theories. We demonstrate that these Ward identities cannot be satisfied when all orders in the noncommutativity parameters theta_i0 are taken into account. We conclude that in time-ordered perturbation theory one cannot solve the unitarity problem of time-like noncommutative quantum field theories.
It is demonstrated that an infinite set of string-tree level on-shell Ward identities, which are valid to all sigma-model loop orders, can be systematically constructed without referring to the string field theory. As examples, bosonic massive scattering amplitudes are calculated explicitly up to the second massive excited states. Ward identities satisfied by these amplitudees are derived by using zero-norm states in the spetrum. In particular, the inter-particle Ward identity generated by the D2xD2' zero-norm state at the second massive level is demonstrated. The four physical propagating sta…
We construct and check by explicit Feynman diagram calculations the BRST Ward identities for N=2 rigid super Yang-Mills theory and N=2 extended supergravity in four-dimensional Euclidean space without auxiliary fields. We use the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism. In the supergravity case we need one new contractible pair of complex spinor fields to obtain the usual gauge-fixing term and corresponding Nielsen-Kallosh ghosts.
In this paper we show that the one-loop graviton self-energy contribution is ultraviolet finite, without introducing counterterms, and cutoff-free in the framework of causal perturbation theory. In addition, it satisfies the gravitational Slavnov-Ward identities for the two-point connected Green function. The condition of perturbative gauge invariance to second order for loop graphs is proved. Corrections to the Newtonian potential are also derived.
We investigate symmetry breaking in two-dimensional field theories which have a holographic gravity dual. Being at large N, the Coleman theorem does not hold and Goldstone bosons are expected. We consider the minimal setup to describe a conserved current and a charged operator, and we perform holographic renormalization in order to find the correct Ward identities describing symmetry breaking. This involves some subtleties related to the different boundary conditions that a vector can have in the three-dimensional bulk. We establish which is the correct prescription that yields, after renormal…
Recently, a number of new Ward identities for large gauge transformations and large diffeomorphisms have been discovered. Some of the identities are reinterpretations of previously known statements, while some appear to be genuinely new. We use Noether's second theorem with the path integral as a powerful way of generating these kinds of Ward identities. We reintroduce Noether's second theorem and discuss how to work with the physical remnant of gauge symmetry in gauge fixed systems. We illustrate our mechanism in Maxwell theory, Yang-Mills theory, p-form field theory, and Einstein-Hilbert gra…
We calculate bosonic open string one-loop massive scattering amplitudes for some low-lying string states. By using the periodicity relations of Jacobi theta functions, we explicitly prove an infinite number of one-loop type I stringy Ward identities derived from type I zero-norm states in the old covariant first quantized (OCFQ) spectrum of open bosonic string. The subtlety in the proofs of one-loop type II stringy Ward identities is discussed by comparing with those of string-tree cases. High-energy limit of these stringy Ward identities can be used to fix the proportionality constants betwee…
This work concerns single-trace correlations of Euclidean multi-matrix models. In the large-N limit we show that Schwinger-Dyson equations imply loop equations and non-anomalous Ward identities. Loop equations are associated to generic infinitesimal changes of matrix variables (vector fields). Ward identities correspond to vector fields preserving measure and action. The former are analogous to Makeenko-Migdal equations and the latter to Slavnov-Taylor identities. Loop equations correspond to leading large-N Schwinger-Dyson equations. Ward identities correspond to 1/N^2 suppressed Schwinger-Dy…
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 …
The Ward identities of the Liouville gravity coupled to the minimal conformal matter are investigated. We introduce the pseudo-null fields and the generalized equations of motion, which are classified into series of the Liouville charges. These series have something to do with the W and Virasoro constraints. The pseudo-null fields have non-trivial contributions at the boundaries of the moduli space. We explicitly evaluate the several boundary contributions. Then the structures similar to the W and the Virasoro constraints appearing in the topological and the matrix methods are realized. Althou…
We derive the BRST symmetry, Slavnov-Taylor identities and Nielsen identities for the ABJM theories in ${\cal N}{=}3$ harmonic superspace. Further, the gauge dependence of one-particle irreducible amplitudes in such superconformal Chern-Simons theory is shown to be generated by a canonical flow with respect to the extended Slavnov-Taylor identity, induced by the extended BRST transformations (including the BRST transformations of the gauge parameters).
We algebraically prove the cancellation of the beta function at all order of perturbation theory of N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories with a vanishing one-loop beta function. The proof generalises that recently given for the N=4 case. It uses the consistent Slavnov-Taylor identities of the shadow dependent formulation. We also demonstrate the cancellation at all orders of the anomalous dimensions of vector and hypermultiplet one half BPS operators.
We consider Yang-Mills theory in a general class of Abelian gauges. Exploiting the residual Abelian symmetry on a quantum level, we derive a set of Ward identities in functional form, valid to all orders in perturbation theory. As a consequence, the coupling constant is only renormalised through the Abelian two-point function. This implies that asymptotic freedom in all Abelian gauges can be understood from an effective Abelian theory alone, which can be interpreted as Abelian dominance in the high energy regime.
In this work, we develop a normal product algorithm suitable to the study of anisotropic field theories in flat space, apply it to construct the symmetries generators and describe how their possible anomalies may be found. In particular, we discuss the dilatation anomaly in a scalar model with critical exponent z=2 in six spatial dimensions.
We continue the study of quantum Liouville theory through Polyakov's functional integral \cite{Pol1,Pol2}, started in \cite{T1}. We derive the perturbation expansion for Schwinger's generating functional for connected multi-point correlation functions involving stress-energy tensor, give the ``dynamical'' proof of the Virasoro symmetry of the theory and compute the value of the central charge, confirming previous calculation in \cite{T1}. We show that conformal Ward identities for these correlation functions contain such basic facts from Kähler geometry of moduli spaces of Riemann surfaces, as…
In our previously published papers, it was argued that a massive non-Abelian gauge field theory in which all gauge fields have the same mass can well be set up on the gauge-invariance principle. The quantization of the fields was performed by different methods. In this paper, It is proved that the quantum theory is invariant with respect to a kind of BRST-transformations. From the BRST-invariance of the theory, the Ward-Takahashi identities satisfied by the generating functionals of full Green's functions, connected Green's functions and proper vertex functions are successively derived. As an …
High-energy limit of stringy Ward identities derived from the decoupling of two types of zero-norm states in the old covariant first quantized (OCFQ) spectrum of open bosonic string are used to check the consistency of saddle point calculations of high energy scattering amplitudes of Gross and Mende and Gross and Manes. Some inconsistencies of their saddle point calculations are found even for the string-tree scattering amplitudes of the excited string states. We discuss and calculate the missing terms of the calculation by those authors to recover the stringy Ward identities. In addition, bas…
We review some of the recent progress in the continuum formulation of two-dimensional string theory, i.e. two-dimensional quantum gravity coupled to $c=1$ matter. Special attention is devoted to the discrete states and to the $w_\infty$ algebra they generate. To demonstrate the power of the infinite symmetry, we use the $w_\infty$ Ward identities to derive recursion relations among certain classes of correlation functions, which allow to calculate them exactly. (Lectures delivered by I.R. Klebanov at the Workshop "String Quantum Gravity and Physics at the Planck Energy Scale", Erice, June 21-2…
Generalizing the Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equations, we derive a hierarchy of non-linear Ward identities for affine-Virasoro correlators. The hierarchy follows from null states of the Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov type and the assumption of factorization, whose consistency we verify at an abstract level. Solution of the equations requires concrete factorization ansätze, which may vary over affine-Virasoro space. As a first example, we solve the non-linear equations for the coset constructions, using a matrix factorization. The resulting coset correlators satisfy first-order linear partial differential …
A general discussion of the conformal Ward identities is presented in the context of logarithmic conformal field theory with conformal Jordan cells of rank two. The logarithmic fields are taken to be quasi-primary. No simplifying assumptions are made about the operator-product expansions of the primary or logarithmic fields. Based on a very natural and general ansatz about the form of the two- and three-point functions, their complete solutions are worked out. The results are in accordance with and extend the known results. It is demonstrated, for example, that the correlators exhibit hierarch…
In the AdS/CFT correspondence the boundary Ward identities are encoded in the bulk constraints. We study the three-dimensional version of this result using the Chern-Simons formulation of gravity. Due the metric boundary conditions the conformal identities cannot be derived in a straightforward way from the chiral ones. We pay special attention to this case and find the necessary modifications to the chiral currents in order to find the two Virasoro operators. The supersymmetric Ward identities are studied as well.
We explore consequences of $W$-infinity symmetry in the fermionic field theory of the $c=1$ matrix model. We derive exact Ward identities relating correlation functions of the bilocal operator. These identities can be expressed as equations satisfied by the effective action of a {\it three} dimensional theory and contain non-perturbative information about the model. We use these identities to calculate the two point function of the bilocal operator in the double scaling limit. We extract the operator whose two point correlator has a {\it single} pole at an (imaginary) integer value of the ener…
Superconformal Ward identities are derived for the the four point functions of chiral primary BPS operators for $\N=2,4$ superconformal symmetry in four dimensions. Manipulations of arbitrary tensorial fields are simplified by introducing a null vector so that the four point functions depend on two internal $R$-symmetry invariants as well as two conformal invariants. The solutions of these identities are interpreted in terms of the operator product expansion and are shown to accommodate long supermultiplets with free scale dimensions and also short and semi-short multiplets with protected dime…
Superconformal Ward identities for N=1 supersymmetric quantum field theories in four dimensions are convenienty obtained in the superfield formalism by combining diffeomorphisms and Weyl transformations on curved superspace. Using this approach we study the superconformal transformation properties of Green functions with one or more insertions of the supercurrent to all orders in perturbation theory. For the case of two insertions we pay particular attention to fixing the additional counterterms present, as well as to the purely geometrical anomalies which contribute to the transformation beha…
We introduce the concept of general gauge theory which includes Yang-Mills models. In the framework of the causal approach and show that the anomalies can appear only in the vacuum sector of the identities obtained from the gauge invariance condition by applying derivatives with respect to the basic fields. Then we provide a general result about the absence of anomalies in higher orders of perturbation theory. This result reduces the renormalizability proof to the study of lower orders of perturbation theory. For the Yang-Mills model one can perform this computation explicitly and obtains its …
The Ward identities of the $W_{\infty}$ symmetry in two dimensional string theory in the tachyon background are studied in the continuum approach. We consider amplitudes different from 2D string ones by the external leg factor and derive the recursion relations among them. The recursion relations have non-linear terms which give relations among the amplitudes defined on different genus. The solutions agree with the matrix model results even in higher genus. We also discuss differences of roles of the external leg factor between the $c_M = 1$ model and the $c_M <1$ model.
The N=2 superconformal Ward identities and their anomalies are discussed in N=2 superspace (including N=2 harmonic superspace), at the level of the low-energy effective action (LEEA) in four-dimensional N=2 supersymmetric field theories. The (first) chiral N=2 supergravity compensator is related to the known N=2 anomalous Ward identity in the N=2 (abelian) vector mulitplet sector. As regards the hypermultiplet LEEA given by the N=2 non-linear sigma-model (NLSM), a new anomalous N=2 superconformal Ward identity is found, whose existence is related to the (second) analytic compensator in N=2 sup…
Following on from previous work we derive the non-linear differential equations of more general correlators of U(1) twist fields in two-dimensional massive Dirac theory. Using the conserved charges of the double copy model equations parametrising the correlators of twist fields with arbitrary twist parameter are found. This method also gives a parametrisation of the correlation functions of general, fermionic, descendent twist fields. The equations parametrising correlators of primary twist fields are compared to those of the literature and evidence is presented to confirm that these equations…
Supersymmetry and R-symmetry Ward identities relate on-shell amplitudes in a supersymmetric field theory. We solve these Ward identities for (Next-to)^K MHV amplitudes of the maximally supersymmetric N=4 and N=8 theories. The resulting superamplitude is written in a new, manifestly supersymmetric and R-invariant form: it is expressed as a sum of very simple SUSY and SU(N)_R-invariant Grassmann polynomials, each multiplied by a "basis amplitude". For (Next-to)^K MHV n-point superamplitudes the number of basis amplitudes is equal to the dimension of the irreducible representation of SU(n-4) corr…
The affine-Virasoro Ward identities are a system of non-linear differential equations which describe the correlators of all affine-Virasoro constructions, including rational and irrational conformal field theory. We study the Ward identities in some detail, with several central results. First, we solve for the correlators of the affine-Sugawara nests, which are associated to the nested subgroups $g\supset h_1 \supset \ldots \supset h_n$. We also find an equivalent algebraic formulation which allows us to find global solutions across the set of all affine-Virasoro constructions. A particular gl…
We show both in 1+1 and 3+1 dimensions that, contrary to the recent suggestions, the contribution of the fermion loop to the polarization tensor is manifestly transverse at finite temperature. Some subtleties associated with the Ward identities at finite temperature are also pointed out.
The gauge fixing dependence of the one-loop effective action of quantum gravity in the proper-time representation is investigated for a space of arbitrary curvature, and the investigation is extended to Maxwell-Einstein theory. The construction of Vilkovisky and DeWitt for removal of this depence is then considered in general gauges, and it is shown that nontrivial criteria arising from a Ward identity of the theory must be obeyed by the regularization scheme, if the construction is to remove the gauge dependence of quadratic and quartic divergences. The results apply also to non-Abelian gauge…
A systematic procedure for performing holographic renormalization, which makes use of the Hamilton-Jacobi method, is proposed and applied to a bulk theory of gravity interacting with a scalar field and a U(1) gauge field in the Stueckelberg formalism. We describe how the power divergences are obtained as solutions of a set of "descent equations" stemming from the radial Hamiltonian constraint of the theory. In addition, we isolate the logarithmic divergences, which are closely related to anomalies. The method allows to determine also the exact one-point functions of the dual field theory. Usin…
We show that the celebrated Painleve equations for the Ising correlation functions follow in a simple way from the Ward Identities associated with local Integrals of Motion of the doubled Ising field theory. We use these Ward Identities to derive the equations determining the matrix elements of the product $σ(x)σ(x')$ between any particle states. The result is then applied in evaluating the leading mass corrections in the Ising field theory perturbed by an external magnetic field.
