Free Field Theory as a String Theory?

An approach to systematically implement open-closed string duality for free large $N$ gauge theories is summarised. We show how the relevant closed string moduli space emerges from a reorganisation of the Feynman diagrams contributing to free field correlators. We also indicate why the resulting integrand on moduli space has the right features to be that of a string theory on $AdS$.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure, Contribution to Strings 2004 (Paris) proceeding

Feynman graph polynomials

The integrand of any multi-loop integral is characterised after Feynman parametrisation by two polynomials. In this review we summarise the properties of these polynomials. Topics covered in this article include among others: Spanning trees and spanning forests, the all-minors matrix-tree theorem, recursion relations due to contraction and deletion of edges, Dodgson's identity and matroids.Comment: 35 pages, references adde

Properties of Feynman graph polynomials

In this talk I discuss properties of the two Symanzik polynomials which characterise the integrand of an arbitrary multi-loop integral in its Feynman parametric form. Based on the construction from spanning forests and Laplacian matrices, Dodgson's relation is applied to derive factorisation identities involving both polynomials. An application of Whitney's 2-isomorphism theorem on matroids is discussed.Comment: Talk given at the International Workshop 'Loops and Legs in Quantum Field Theory' (April 25-30, 2010, W\"orlitz, Germany

Relating Covariant and Canonical Approaches to Triangulated Models of Quantum Gravity

In this paper explore the relation between covariant and canonical approaches to quantum gravity and $BF$ theory. We will focus on the dynamical triangulation and spin-foam models, which have in common that they can be defined in terms of sums over space-time triangulations. Our aim is to show how we can recover these covariant models from a canonical framework by providing two regularisations of the projector onto the kernel of the Hamiltonian constraint. This link is important for the understanding of the dynamics of quantum gravity. In particular, we will see how in the simplest dynamical triangulations model we can recover the Hamiltonian constraint via our definition of the projector. Our discussion of spin-foam models will show how the elementary spin-network moves in loop quantum gravity, which were originally assumed to describe the Hamiltonian constraint action, are in fact related to the time-evolution generated by the constraint. We also show that the Immirzi parameter is important for the understanding of a continuum limit of the theory.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figure

The One-Loop Five-Graviton Scattering Amplitude and Its Low-Energy Limit

A covariant path integral calculation of the even spin structure contribution to the one-loop N-graviton scattering amplitude in the type-II superstring theory is presented. The apparent divergence of the $N=5$ amplitude is resolved by separating it into twelve independent terms corresponding to different orders of inserting the graviton vertex operators. Each term is well defined in an appropriate kinematic region and can be analytically continued to physical regions where it develops branch cuts required by unitarity. The zero-slope limit of the $N=5$ amplitude is performed, and the Feynman diagram content of the low-energy field theory is examined. Both one-particle irreducible (1PI) and one-particle redicible (1PR) graphs with massless internal states are generated in this limit. One set of 1PI graphs has the same divergent dependence on the cut-off as that found in the four-graviton case, and it is proved that such graphs exist for all~$N$. The 1PR graphs are contributed by the poles in the world-sheet chiral Green functions.Comment: 23 pages, ITP-SB-92-6

UV/IR Mixing for Noncommutative Complex Scalar Field Theory, II (Interaction with Gauge Fields)

We consider noncommutative analogs of scalar electrodynamics and N=2 D=4 SUSY Yang-Mills theory. We show that one-loop renormalizability of noncommutative scalar electrodynamics requires the scalar potential to be an anticommutator squared. This form of the scalar potential differs from the one expected from the point of view of noncommutative gauge theories with extended SUSY containing a square of commutator. We show that fermion contributions restore the commutator in the scalar potential. This provides one-loop renormalizability of noncommutative N=2 SUSY gauge theory. We demonstrate a presence of non-integrable IR singularities in noncommutative scalar electrodynamics for general coupling constants. We find that for a special ratio of coupling constants these IR singularities vanish. Also we show that IR poles are absent in noncommutative N=2 SUSY gauge theory.Comment: 9 pages, 16 EPS figure