We present all-multiplicity formulae for the tree-level scattering of gluons and gravitons in the maximal helicity violating (MHV) helicity configuration, calculated in certain chiral strong fields. The strong backgrounds we consider are self-dual plane waves in gauge theory and general relativity, which are treated exactly and admit a well-defined S-matrix. The gauge theory background-coupled MHV amplitude is simply a dressed analogue of the familiar Parke-Taylor formula, but the gravitational version has non-trivial new structures due to graviton tails. Both formulae have just one residual integral rather than the $n-2$ expected at $n$-points from space-time perturbation theory; this simplification arises from the integrability of self-dual backgrounds and their corresponding twistor description. The resulting formulae pass several consistency checks and limit to the well-known expressions for MHV scattering of gluons and gravitons when the background becomes trivial.
In arXiv:2008.04330 it was shown that supertranslation and $\overline{SL(2,\mathbb C)}$ current algebra symmetries, corresponding to leading and subleading soft graviton theorems, are enough to determine the tree level MHV graviton scattering amplitudes. In this note we clarify the role of subsubleading soft graviton theorem in this context.
We show how the maximally helicity violating (MHV) scattering amplitudes for gravitons can be related to current correlators and vertex operators in twistor space. This is similar to what happens in Yang-Mills theory and raises the possibility of a direct twistor-string-like construction for ${\cal N}=8$ supergravity.
Two new formulas which express n-graviton MHV tree amplitudes in terms of sums of squares of n-gluon amplitudes are discussed. The first formula is derived from recursion relations. The second formula, simpler because it involves fewer permutations, is obtained from the variant of the Berends, Giele, Kuijf formula given in Arxiv:0707.1035.
We extend the Berkovits-Maldacena prescription for MHV amplitudes of the open superstring to the closed superstring, showing that in the α'=0 limit it reduces to the result of supergravity found recently by Hodges. We also verify that this prescription calculates the correct superstring tree level MHV amplitude for 4 gravitons including α' corrections.
The Cachazo-Strominger subleading soft graviton theorem for a positive helicity soft graviton is equivalent to the Ward identities for $\overline{SL(2,\mathbb C)}$ currents. This naturally gives rise to a $\overline{SL(2,\mathbb C)}$ current algebra living on the celestial sphere. The generators of the $\overline{SL(2,\mathbb C)}$ current algebra and the supertranslations, coming from a positive helicity leading soft graviton, form a closed algebra. We find that the OPE of two graviton primaries in the Celestial CFT, extracted from MHV amplitudes, is completely determined in terms of this alge…
In this paper we continue our study of the tree level MHV graviton scattering amplitudes from the point of view of celestial holography. In arXiv:2008.04330 we showed that the celestial OPE of two gravitons in the MHV sector can be written as a linear combination of $\overline{SL(2,\mathbb C)}$ current algebra and supertranslation descendants. In this note we show that the OPE is in fact manifestly invariant under the infinite dimensional Virasoro algebra as is expected for a $2$-D CFT. This is consistent with the conjecture that the holographic dual in $4$-D asymptotically flat space time is …
The MHV or CSW expansion of tree-level Yang-Mills amplitudes provides an elegant and simple way of obtaining analytic formulas for S-matrix elements. Inspired by the BCFW technique, a systematic approach to obtain the MHV expansion was introduced by Risager, using a particular complex deformation. Although it works for Yang-Mills amplitudes, Risager's technique fails to provide an MHV expansion already for Next-to-MHV gravity amplitudes with more than eleven particles, as shown by Bianchi, Elvang and Freedman in 2008. This fact implies that in this sector there is a contribution at infinity st…
We discuss the calculation of one-loop amplitudes in N=8 supergravity using MHV diagrams. In contrast to MHV amplitudes of gluons in Yang-Mills, tree-level MHV amplitudes of gravitons are not holomorphic in the spinor variables. In order to extend these amplitudes off shell, and use them as vertices to build loops, we introduce certain shifts for the spinor variables associated to the loop momenta. Using this off-shell prescription, we rederive the four-point MHV amplitude of gravitons at one loop, in complete agreement with known results. We also discuss the extension to the case of one-loop …
We present and prove a formula for the MHV scattering amplitude of n gravitons at tree level. Some of the more interesting features of the formula, which set it apart as being significantly different from many more familiar formulas, include the absence of any vestigial reference to a cyclic ordering of the gravitons--making it in a sense a truly gravitational formula, rather than a recycled Yang-Mills result, and the fact that it simultaneously manifests both S_{n-2} symmetry as well as large-z behavior that is O(1/z^2) term-by-term, without relying on delicate cancellations. The formula is s…
Recently, tree-level recursion relations for scattering amplitudes of gluons in Yang-Mills theory have been derived. In this note we propose a generalization of the recursion relations to tree-level scattering amplitudes of gravitons. We use the relations to derive new simple formulae for all amplitudes up to six gravitons. In particular, we present an explicit formula for the six graviton non-MHV amplitude. We prove the relations for MHV and next-to-MHV n-graviton amplitudes and for all eight-graviton amplitudes.
In the gauge-theoretic formulation of gravity the cubic vertex becomes simple enough for some graviton scattering amplitudes to be computed using Berends-Giele-type recursion relations. We present such a computation for the current with all same helicity on-shell gravitons. Once the recursion relation is set up and low graviton number cases are worked out, a natural guess for the solution in terms of a sum over trees presents itself readily. The solution can also be described either in terms of the half-soft function familiar from the 1998 paper by Bern, Dixon, Perelstein and Rozowsky or as a …
We show that the Mellin transform of an $n$-point tree level MHV gluon scattering amplitude, also known as the celestial amplitude in pure Yang-Mills theory, satisfies a system of $(n-2)$ linear first order partial differential equations corresponding to $(n-2)$ positive helicity gluons. Although these equations closely resemble Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equations for $SU(N)$ current algebra there is also an additional "correction" term coming from the subleading soft gluon current algebra. These equations can be used to compute the leading term in the gluon-gluon OPE on the celestial sphere. Sim…
We consider the multi-collinear limit of multi-gluon QCD amplitudes at tree level. We use the MHV rules for constructing colour ordered tree amplitudes and the general collinear factorization formula to derive timelike splitting functions that are valid for specific numbers of negative helicity gluons and an arbitrary number of positive helicity gluons (or vice versa). As an example we present new results describing the collinear limits of up to six gluons.
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 use tree-level perturbation theory to show how non-supersymmetric one-loop scattering amplitudes for a Higgs boson plus an arbitrary number of partons can be constructed, in the limit of a heavy top quark, from a generalization of the scalar graph approach of Cachazo, Svrcek and Witten. The Higgs boson couples to gluons through a top quark loop which generates, for large top mass, a dimension-5 operator H tr G^2. This effective interaction leads to amplitudes which cannot be described by the standard MHV rules; for example, amplitudes where all of the gluons have positive helicity. We split…
We obtain a CSW-style formalism for calculating graviton scattering amplitudes and prove its validity through the use of a special type of BCFW-like parameter shift. The procedure is illustrated with explicit examples.
We compare the two-loop corrections to the finite part of the light-like hexagon Wilson loop with the recent numerical results for the finite part of the MHV six-gluon amplitude in N=4 SYM theory by Bern, Dixon, Kosower, Roiban, Spradlin, Vergu and Volovich (arXiv:0803.1465 [hep-th]) and demonstrate that they coincide within the error bars and, at the same time, they differ from the BDS ansatz by a non-trivial function of (dual) conformal kinematical invariants. This provides strong evidence that the Wilson loop/scattering amplitude duality holds in planar N=4 SYM theory to all loops for an ar…
We show how the MHV diagram description of Yang-Mills theories can be used to study non-supersymmetric loop amplitudes. In particular, we derive a compact expression for the cut-constructible part of the general one-loop MHV multi-gluon scattering amplitude in pure Yang-Mills theory. We show that in special cases this expression reduces to known amplitudes - the amplitude with adjacent negative-helicity gluons, and the five gluon non-adjacent amplitude. Finally, we briefly discuss the twistor space interpretation of our result.
We calculate corrections to the BDS formula for the six-particle planar MHV amplitude for the gluon transition 3->3 in the multi-Regge kinematics for the physical region, in which the Regge pole ansatz is not valid. The remainder function at two loops is obtained by an analytic continuation of the expression derived by Goncharov, Spradlin, Vergu and Volovich to the kinematic region described by the Mandelstam singularity exchange in the crossing channel. It contains both the imaginary and real contributions being in agreement with the BFKL predictions. The real part of the three loop expressio…
In this letter, we exploit generalised unitarity in order to calculate the cut-constructible part of one-loop amplitudes in non-supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. In particular, we rederive the n-gluon MHV amplitudes for both the adjacent and non-adjacent gluon helicity configurations from 3- and 4-particle cuts alone.
We show how to calculate the one-loop scattering amplitude with all gluons of negative helicity in non-supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory using MHV diagrams. We argue that the amplitude with all positive helicity gluons arises from a Jacobian which occurs when one performs a Backlund-type holomorphic change of variables in the lightcone Yang-Mills Lagrangian. This also results in contributions to scattering amplitudes from violations of the equivalence theorem. Furthermore, we discuss how the one-loop amplitudes with a single positive or negative helicity gluon arise in this formalism. Perturbat…
New methods are introduced for the description and evaluation of tree-level gravitational scattering amplitudes. An N=7 super-symmetric recursion, free from spurious double poles, gives a more efficient method for evaluating MHV amplitudes. The recursion is naturally associated with twistor geometry, and thereby gives a new interpretation for the amplitudes. The recursion leads to new expressions for the MHV amplitudes for six and seven gravitons, simplifying their symmetry properties, and suggesting further generalization. The N=7 recursion is valid for all tree amplitudes, and we illustrate …
Pasterski, Shao and Strominger have recently proposed that massless scattering amplitudes can be mapped to correlators on the celestial sphere at infinity via a Mellin transform. We apply this prescription to arbitrary $n$-point tree-level gluon amplitudes. The Mellin transforms of MHV amplitudes are given by generalized hypergeometric functions on the Grassmannian $Gr(4,n)$, while generic non-MHV amplitudes are given by more complicated Gelfand $A$-hypergeometric functions.
In four dimensions, a tree-level double-trace Einstein-Yang-Mills (EYM) amplitude with two negative-helicity gluons (the $(g^-,g^-)$-configuration) satisfies a symmetric spanning forest formula, which was derived from the graphic expansion rule. On another hand, in the framework of Cachazo-He-Yuan (CHY) formula, the maximally-helicity-violating (MHV) amplitudes are supported by the MHV solution of scattering equations. The relationship between the symmetric formula for double-trace amplitudes, and the MHV sector of Cachazo-He-Yuan (CHY) formula in four dimensions is still not clear. In this no…
QCD amplitudes display a universal behaviour when one or more partons are soft and/or collinear. This can expressed in terms of antenna functions which are much simpler than the full amplitudes and yet correctly embody their infrared behaviour. We show how antenna functions can be naturally obtained via a twistor-inspired MHV approach. As an application, we present compact results for MHV and NMHV antennas functions valid for any number of gluons. These are sufficient to calculate the complete set of tree-level gluon antenna functions up to NNNLO. As an interesting corollary, we prove that spl…
We compute the six-particle maximally-helicity-violating (MHV) and next-to-MHV (NMHV) amplitudes in planar maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory through seven loops and six loops, respectively, as an application of the extended Steinmann relations and using the cosmic Galois coaction principle. Starting from a minimal space of functions constructed using these principles, we identify the amplitude by matching its symmetries and predicted behavior in various kinematic limits. Through five loops, the MHV and NMHV amplitudes are uniquely determined using only the multi-Regge and leading coll…
We perform a canonical change of the field variables of light-cone gauge massless QCD to obtain a lagrangian whose terms are proportional up to polarisation factors to MHV amplitudes and continued off shell by the CSW prescription. We solve for this transformation as a series expansion to all orders in the new fields, and use this to prove that the resulting vertices are indeed MHV vertices as claimed. We also demonstrate how this works explicitly for the vertices with: two quarks and two gluons, four quarks, and a particular helicity configuration of two quarks and three gluons. Finally, we g…
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 consider the (multi) Splitting function of Wilson loops and MHV gluon scattering S matrix elements in N=4 SYM. At strong coupling, one can utilize the methods of Alday and Maldacena and at weak coupling (one loop) the correspondence to light like Wilson loops is used. In both cases, the (multi) Splitting function corresponds to flattened cusps in the light like polygon, allowing for a clean disentanglement from the other gluons. We compute it in some cases and estimate some terms in other cases. We also prove the anomalous Ward identity of Drummond et al. in the strong coupling regime. Last…
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.
The maximally helicity violating (MHV) tree level scattering amplitudes involving three, four or five gravitons are worked out in Unimodular Gravity. They are found to coincide with the corresponding amplitudes in General Relativity. This a remarkable result, insofar as both the propagators and the vertices are quite different in both theories.
Using newly proposed BCF/BCFW recursion relations, compact formulas are obtained for tree-level n-gluon amplitudes of helicity structure --++...+. We then make an extension of these recursion relations to include fermions of multi-flavors, from which MHV and \bar{MHV} amplitudes are reproduced. We also calculate non-MHV amplitudes of processes with two fermions and four gluons. Results thus obtained are equivalent to those obtained by extended CSW prescriptions, and those by conventional field theory calculations.
We derive a manifestly MHV Lagrangian for the N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in light-cone superspace. This is achieved by constructing a canonical redefinition which maps the N=4 superfield and its conjugate to a new pair of superfields. In terms of these new superfields the N=4 Lagrangian takes a (non-polynomial) manifestly MHV form, containing vertices involving two superfields of negative helicity and an arbitrary number of superfields of positive helicity. We also discuss constraints satisfied by the new superfields, which ensure that they describe the correct degrees of freedom in …
We show that at tree level, on-shell gauge invariance can be used to fully determine the first subleading soft-gluon behavior and the first two subleading soft-graviton behaviors. Our proofs of the behaviors for n-gluon and n-graviton tree amplitudes are valid in D dimensions and are similar to Low's proof of universality of the first subleading behavior of photons. In contrast to photons coupling to massive particles, in four dimensions the soft behaviors of gluons and gravitons are corrected by loop effects. We comment on how such corrections arise from this perspective. We also show that lo…
In this work we employ the MHV technique to show that scattering amplitudes with any number of consecutive soft particles behave universally in the multi-soft limit in which all particles go soft simultaneously. After identifying the diagrams which give the leading contribution we give the general rules for writing down compact expressions for the multi-soft factor of m gluons, k of which have negative helicity. We explicitly consider the cases where k equals 1 and 2. In N =4 SYM, the multi-soft factors of 2 scalars or 2 fermions forming a singlet of SU(4) R-symmetry, and m-2 positive helicity…
Britto, Cachazo and Feng have recently derived a recursion relation for tree-level scattering amplitudes in Yang-Mills. This relation has a bilinear structure inherited from factorisation on multi-particle poles of the scattering amplitudes - a rather generic feature of field theory. Motivated by this, we propose a new recursion relation for scattering amplitudes of gravitons at tree level. Using this recursion relation, we derive a new general formula for the MHV tree-level scattering amplitude for n gravitons. Finally, we comment on the existence of recursion relations in general field theor…
In this paper, we study the tree amplitudes with gluons coupled to gravitons. We first study the relations among the mixed amplitudes. With BCFW on-shell recursion relation, we will show the color-order reversed relation, $U(1)$-decoupling relation and KK relation hold for tree amplitudes with gluons coupled to gravitons. We then study the disk relation which expresses mixed amplitudes by pure gluon amplitudes. More specifically we will prove the disk relation for mixed amplitudes with gluons coupled to one graviton. Using the disk relation and the properties of pure gluon amplitudes, the colo…
We show how the holomorphic anomaly found in hep-th/0409245 can be used to efficiently compute certain classes of unitarity cuts of one-loop N=4 amplitudes of gluons. These classes include all cuts of n-gluon one-loop MHV amplitudes and of n-gluon next-to-MHV amplitudes with helicities (1+,2+,3+,4-,..., n-). As an application of this method, we present the explicit computation of the (1,2,3)-cut of the n-gluon one-loop N=4 leading-color amplitude A_{n;1}(1+,2+,3+,4-,..., n-). The answer is given in terms of scalar box functions and provides information about the corresponding amplitudes. A pos…
These lectures are centred around tree-level scattering amplitudes in pure Yang-Mills theories, the most prominent example is given by the tree-level gluon amplitudes of QCD. I will discuss several ways of computing these amplitudes, illustrating in this way recent developments in perturbative quantum field theory. Topics covered in these lectures include colour decomposition, spinor and twistor methods, off- and on-shell recursion, MHV amplitudes and MHV expansion, the Grassmannian and the amplituhedron, the scattering equations and the CHY representation. At the end of these lectures there w…
We describe the hexagon function bootstrap for solving for six-gluon scattering amplitudes in the large $N_c$ limit of ${\cal N}=4$ super-Yang-Mills theory. In this method, an ansatz for the finite part of these amplitudes is constrained at the level of amplitudes, not integrands, using boundary information. In the near-collinear limit, the dual picture of the amplitudes as Wilson loops leads to an operator product expansion which has been solved using integrability by Basso, Sever and Vieira. Factorization of the amplitudes in the multi-Regge limit provides additional boundary data. This boot…
The MHV action is the Yang-Mills action quantized on the light-front, where the two explicit physical gluonic degrees of freedom have been canonically transformed to a new set of fields. This transformation leads to the action with vertices being off-shell continuations of the MHV amplitudes. We show that the solution to the field transformation expressing one of the new fields in terms of the Yang-Mills field is a certain type of the Wilson line. More precisely, it is a straight infinite gauge link with a slope extending to the light-cone minus and the transverse direction. One of the consequ…
