We study the six-particle amplitude in planar $\mathcal{N} = 4$ super Yang-Mills theory in the double scaling (DS) limit, the only nontrivial codimension-one boundary of its positive kinematic region. We construct the relevant function space, which is significantly constrained due to the extended Steinmann relations, up to weight 13 in coproduct form, and up to weight 12 as an explicit polylogarithmic representation. Expanding the latter in the collinear boundary of the DS limit, and using the Pentagon Operator Product Expansion, we compute the non-divergent coefficient of a certain component of the Next-to-Maximally-Helicity-Violating amplitude through weight 12 and eight loops. We also specialize our results to the overlapping origin limit, observing a general pattern for its leading divergences.
We introduce a non-perturbative framework for computing structure constants of single-trace operators in the N=4 SYM theory at large N. Our approach features new vertices, with hexagonal shape, that can be patched together into three- and possibly higher-point correlators. These newborn hexagons are more elementary and easier to deal with than the three-point functions. Moreover, they can be entirely constructed using integrability, by means of a suitable bootstrap program. In this letter, we present our main results and conjectures for these vertices, and match their predictions for the three…
We consider the hexagonal Wilson loop dual to the six-point MHV amplitude in planar N=4 super Yang-Mills theory. We apply constraints from the operator product expansion in the near-collinear limit to the symbol of the remainder function at three loops. Using these constraints, and assuming a natural ansatz for the symbol's entries, we determine the symbol up to just two undetermined constants. In the multi-Regge limit, both constants drop out from the symbol, enabling us to make a non-trivial confirmation of the BFKL prediction for the leading-log approximation. This result provides a strong …
We study the heavy-heavy-light (HHL) three-point functions in the planar N = 4 super-Yang- Mills theory using the recently proposed hexagon bootstrap program [arXiv:1505.06745]. We prove the conjecture of Bajnok, Janik and Wereszczynski [arXiv:1404.4556] on the polynomial L-dependence of HHL structure constant up to the leading finite-size corrections, where L is the length of the heavy operators. The proof is presented for a specific set-up but the method can be applied to more general situations.
We study heavy-light four-point function by employing Lorentzian inversion formula, where the conformal dimension of heavy operator is as large as central charge $C_T\rightarrow\infty$. We implement the Lorentzian inversion formula back and forth to reveal the universality of the lowest-twist multi-stress-tensor $T^k$ as well as large spin double-twist operators $[\mathcal{O}_H\mathcal{O}_L]_{n',J'}$. In this way, we also propose an algorithm to bootstrap the heavy-light four-point function by extracting relevant OPE coefficients and anomalous dimensions. By following the algorithm, we exhibit…
We investigate the heavy-light four-point function up to double-stress-tensor, supplementing 1910.06357. By using the OPE coefficients of lowest-twist double-stress-tensor in the literature, we find the Regge behavior for lowest-twist double-stress-tensor in general even dimension within the large impact parameter regime. In the next, we perform the Lorentzian inversion formula to obtain both the OPE coefficients and anomalous dimensions of double-twist operators $[\mathcal{O}_H\mathcal{O}_L]_{n,J}$ with finite spin $J$ in $d=4$. We also extract the anomalous dimensions of double-twist operato…
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…
We present the full form of a four-point correlation function of large BPS operators in planar N = 4 Super Yang-Mills to any loop order. We do this by following a bootstrap philosophy based on three simple axioms pertaining to (i) the space of functions arising at each loop order, (ii) the behaviour in the OPE in a double-trace dominated channel and (iii) the behaviour under a double null limit. We discuss how these bootstrap axioms are in turn strongly motivated by empirical observations up to nine loops unveiled through integrability methods in our previous work [9] on this simplest correlat…
We formulate a new program to generalize the double-copy of tree amplitudes. The approach exploits the link between the identity element of the KLT algebra and the KLT kernel, and we demonstrate how this leads to a set of KLT bootstrap equations that the double-copy kernel has to satisfy (in addition to locality constraints). We solve the KLT bootstrap equations perturbatively to find the most general higher-derivative corrections to the 4- and 5-point field theory KLT kernel. The new kernel generalizes the string KLT kernel and its associated monodromy relations. It admits new color-structure…
We analyse the OPE contribution of gluon bound states in the double scaling limit of the hexagonal Wilson loop in planar N=4 super Yang-Mills theory. We provide a systematic procedure for perturbatively resumming the contributions from single-particle bound states of gluons and expressing the result order by order in terms of two-variable polylogarithms. We also analyse certain contributions from two-particle gluon bound states and find that, after analytic continuation to the $2\to 4$ Mandelstam region and passing to multi-Regge kinematics (MRK), only the single-particle gluon bound states co…
The off-shell massless six-point double box and hexagon conformal Feynman integrals with generic propagator powers are expressed in terms of linear combinations of multiple hypergeometric series of the generalized Horn type. These results are derived from 9-fold Mellin-Barnes representations obtained from their dual conformal Feynman parameter representations. The individual terms in the presented expressions satisfy the differential equation that relates the double box in $D$ dimensions to the hexagon in $D+2$ dimensions.
Seven-particle scattering amplitudes in planar super-Yang-Mills theory are believed to belong to a special class of generalised polylogarithm functions called heptagon functions. These are functions with physical branch cuts whose symbols may be written in terms of the 42 cluster A-coordinates on Gr(4,7). Motivated by the success of the hexagon bootstrap programme for constructing six-particle amplitudes we initiate the systematic study of the symbols of heptagon functions. We find that there is exactly one such symbol of weight six which satisfies the MHV last-entry condition and is finite in…
We analyze the near-collinear limit of the null polygonal hexagon super Wilson loop in the planar N = 4 superYang-Mills theory. We focus on its Grassmann components which are dual to next-to-maximal helicity-violating (NMHV) scattering amplitudes. The kinematics in question is studied within a framework of the operator product expansion that encodes propagation of excitations on the background of the color flux tube stretched between the sides of Wilson loop contour. While their dispersion relation is known to all orders in 't Hooft coupling from previous studies, we find their form factor cou…
Every conformal field theory (CFT) above two dimensions contains an infinite set of Regge trajectories of local operators which, at large spin, asymptote to "double-twist" composites with vanishing anomalous dimension. In two dimensions, due to the existence of local conformal symmetry, this and other central results of the conformal bootstrap do not apply. We incorporate exact stress tensor dynamics into the CFT$_2$ analytic bootstrap, and extract several implications for AdS$_3$ quantum gravity. Our main tool is the Virasoro fusion kernel, which we newly analyze and interpret in the bootstra…
We test the bootstrap approach for determining the spectrum of one dimensional Hamiltonians. In this paper we focus on problems that have a two parameter search space in the bootstrap approach: the double well and a periodic potential associated to the Mathieu equation. For the double well, we compare the energies with contributions from perturbative and non-perturbative results, finding good agreement. For the periodic potentials, we notice that the bootstrap approach gives the band structure of the periodic potential, but it has trouble finding the quasi-momentum of the system. To make furth…
Three-dimensional Chern-Simons vector models display an approximate higher spin symmetry in the large $N$ limit. Their single-trace operators consist of a tower of weakly broken currents, as well as a scalar $σ$ of approximate twist $1$ or $2$. We study the consequences of crossing symmetry for the four-point correlator of $σ$ in a $1/N$ expansion, using analytic bootstrap techniques. To order $1/N$ we show that crossing symmetry fixes the contribution from the tower of currents, providing an alternative derivation of well-known results by Maldacena and Zhiboedov. When $σ$ has twist $1$ its OP…
We point out that the bootstrap program in quantum mechanics proposed by Han et al reduces to a bootstrap study of a microcanonical ensemble of the same Hamiltonian in the $\hbar \to 0$ limit. In the limit, the quantum mechanical archipelago becomes an extremely thin line for an anharmonic oscillator. For a double-well potential, a peninsula in $E\le 0$ appears.
We analytically study the lightcone limit of the conformal bootstrap equations for 4-point functions containing global symmetry currents and the stress tensor in 3d CFTs. We show that the contribution of the stress tensor to the anomalous dimensions of large spin double-twist states is negative if and only if the conformal collider physics bounds are satisfied. In the context of AdS/CFT these results indicate a relation between the attractiveness of AdS gravity and positivity of the CFT energy flux. We also study the contribution of non-Abelian conserved currents to the anomalous dimensions of…
We reformulate the heptagon cluster bootstrap to take advantage of the Steinmann relations, which require certain double discontinuities of any amplitude to vanish. These constraints vastly reduce the number of functions needed to bootstrap seven-point amplitudes in planar $\mathcal{N} = 4$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory, making higher-loop contributions to these amplitudes more computationally accessible. In particular, dual superconformal symmetry and well-defined collinear limits suffice to determine uniquely the symbols of the three-loop NMHV and four-loop MHV seven-point amplitudes. We …
The double-trace from UV to IR flow subtraction of infinities used earlier for the UV-convergent calculations of the Witten tadpole diagrams being applied to the bubble self-energy diagrams gives for them the amazingly simple expressions in case of the four-dimensional boundary space. For every $N = 1... 4$ in the $O(N)$ symmetric scalar fields model with the conformal Hubbard-Stratonovich field there are three roots of the "old" conformal bootstrap spectral equations that obey unitarity bound demand.
We continue the study of four-point correlation functions by the hexagon tessellation approach initiated in 1611.05436 and 1611.05577. We consider planar tree-level correlation functions in $\mathcal{N} = 4$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory involving two non-protected operators. We find that, in order to reproduce the field theory result, it is necessary to include $SU(N)$ colour factors in the hexagon formalism; moreover, we find that the hexagon approach as it stands is naturally tailored to the single-trace part of correlation functions, and does not account for multi-trace admixtures. We d…
We analytically solve the conformal bootstrap equations in the Regge limit for large N conformal field theories. For theories with a parametrically large gap, the amplitude is dominated by spin-2 exchanges and we show how the crossing equations naturally lead to the construction of AdS exchange Witten diagrams. We also show how this is encoded in the anomalous dimensions of double-trace operators of large spin and large twist. We use the chaos bound to prove that the anomalous dimensions are negative. Extending these results to correlators containing two scalars and two conserved currents, we …
Using the principles of the modern scattering amplitudes programme, we develop a formalism for constructing the amplitudes of three-dimensional topologically massive gauge theories and gravity. Inspired by recent developments in four dimensions, we construct the three-dimensional equivalent of $x$-variables for conserved matter currents coupled to topologically massive gauge bosons or gravitons. Using these, we bootstrap various matter-coupled gauge-theory and gravitational scattering amplitudes, and conjecture that topologically massive gauge theory and topologically massive gravity are relat…
Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, Werner-Heisenberg-Institut（马克斯·普朗克物理研究所）；LAPTh, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS（萨瓦大学）；Interdisciplinary Center for Theoretical Study, University of Science and Technology of China（中国科学技术大学）；Peng Huanwu Center for Fundamental Theory（彭桓武理论中心）；Center for High Energy Physics, Peking University（北京大学高能物理中心）
Loop-level scattering amplitudes for massless particles have singularities in regions where tree amplitudes are perfectly smooth. For example, a $2\to4$ gluon scattering process has a singularity in which each incoming gluon splits into a pair of gluons, followed by a pair of $2\to2$ collisions between the gluon pairs. This singularity mimics double parton scattering because it occurs when the transverse momentum of a pair of outgoing gluons vanishes. The singularity is logarithmic at fixed order in perturbation theory. We exploit the duality between scattering amplitudes and polygonal Wilson …
The naive double-copy of (multi) loop amplitudes involving massive matter coupled to gauge theories will generically produce amplitudes in a gravitational theory that contains additional contributions from propagating antisymmetric tensor and dilaton states even at tree-level. We present a graph-based approach that combines the method of maximal cuts with double-copy construction to offer a systematic framework to isolate the pure Einstein-Hilbert gravitational contributions through loop level. Indeed this allows for a bootstrap of pure-gravitational results from the double-copy of massive sca…
We find that scattering amplitudes in massive scalar QCD can manifest the duality between color and kinematics at loop-level. Specifically we construct the one-loop integrands for four-point scattering between two distinct massive scalars, and the five-point process encoding the first correction to massive scalar scattering with gluonic radiation. We find that factorization and the color-kinematics duality are sufficient principles to entirely bootstrap these calculations, allowing us to construct all contributions ultimately from the three-point tree-level amplitudes which are themselves enti…
