The rational parts of one-loop QCD amplitudes I: The general formalism

A general formalism for computing only the rational parts of oneloop QCD amplitudes is developed. Starting from the Feynman integral representation of the one-loop amplitude, we use tensor reduction and recursive relations to compute the rational parts directly. Explicit formulas for the rational parts are given for all bubble and triangle integrals. Formulas are also given for box integrals up to two-masshard boxes which are the needed ingredients to compute up to 6-gluon QCD amplitudes. We use this method to compute explicitly the rational parts of the 5- and 6-gluon QCD amplitudes in two accompanying papers.Comment: 49 pages, 8 figure and LaTeX file; minor corrections, references added, to be published in Nucl. Phys.

Bootstrapping One-Loop QCD Amplitudes

We review the recently developed bootstrap method for the computation of high-multiplicity QCD amplitudes at one loop. We illustrate the general algorithm step by step with a six-point example. The method combines (generalized) unitarity with on-shell recursion relations to determine the not cut-constructible, rational terms of these amplitudes. Our bootstrap approach works for arbitrary configurations of gluon helicities and arbitrary numbers of external legs.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures; extended version of talks given at the 7th Workshop On Continuous Advances In QCD, 11-14 May 2006, Minneapolis, Minnesota; at SUSY06: 14th International Conference On Supersymmetry And The Unification Of Fundamental Interactions, 12-17 Jun 2006, Irvine, California; at the LoopFest V: Radiative Corrections For The International Linear Collider: Multi-Loops And Multi-Legs, 19-21 Jun 2006, SLAC, Menlo Park, California; and at the Vancouver Linear Colliders Workshop (ALCPG 2006), 19-22 Jul 2006, Vancouver, British Columbi

Bootstrapping Multi-Parton Loop Amplitudes in QCD

We present a new method for computing complete one-loop amplitudes, including their rational parts, in non-supersymmetric gauge theory. This method merges the unitarity method with on-shell recursion relations. It systematizes a unitarity-factorization bootstrap approach previously applied by the authors to the one-loop amplitudes required for next-to-leading order QCD corrections to the processes e^+e^- -> Z,\gamma^* -> 4 jets and pp -> W + 2 jets. We illustrate the method by reproducing the one-loop color-ordered five-gluon helicity amplitudes in QCD that interfere with the tree amplitude, namely A_{5;1}(1^-,2^-,3^+,4^+,5^+) and A_{5;1}(1^-,2^+,3^-,4^+,5^+). Then we describe the construction of the six- and seven-gluon amplitudes with two adjacent negative-helicity gluons, A_{6;1}(1^-,2^-,3^+,4^+,5^+,6^+) and A_{7;1}(1^-,2^-,3^+,4^+,5^+,6^+,7^+), which uses the previously-computed logarithmic parts of the amplitudes as input. We present a compact expression for the six-gluon amplitude. No loop integrals are required to obtain the rational parts.Comment: 43 pages, 8 figures, RevTeX, v2-v4 clarifications and minor correction

Bootstrapping One-Loop QCD Amplitudes with General Helicities

The recently developed on-shell bootstrap for computing one-loop amplitudes in non-supersymmetric theories such as QCD combines the unitarity method with loop-level on-shell recursion. For generic helicity configurations, the recursion relations may involve undetermined contributions from non-standard complex singularities or from large values of the shift parameter. Here we develop a strategy for sidestepping difficulties through use of pairs of recursion relations. To illustrate the strategy, we present sets of recursion relations needed for obtaining n-gluon amplitudes in QCD. We give a recursive solution for the one-loop n-gluon QCD amplitudes with three or four color-adjacent gluons of negative helicity and the remaining ones of positive helicity. We provide an explicit analytic formula for the QCD amplitude A_{6;1}(1^-,2^-,3^-,4^+,5^+,6^+), as well as numerical results for A_{7;1}(1^-,2^-,3^-,4^+,5^+,6^+,7^+), A_{8;1}(1^-,2^-,3^-,4^+,5^+,6^+,7^+,8^+), and A_{8;1}(1^-,2^-,3^-,4^-,5^+,6^+,7^+,8^+). We expect the on-shell bootstrap approach to have widespread applications to phenomenological studies at colliders.Comment: 77 pages, 17 figures; v2, corrected minor typos in text and small equation

On-Shell Methods in Perturbative QCD

We review on-shell methods for computing multi-parton scattering amplitudes in perturbative QCD, utilizing their unitarity and factorization properties. We focus on aspects which are useful for the construction of one-loop amplitudes needed for phenomenological studies at the Large Hadron Collider.Comment: 49 pages, 15 figures. v2: minor typos correcte

Efficient Color-Dressed Calculation of Virtual Corrections

With the advent of generalized unitarity and parametric integration techniques, the construction of a generic Next-to-Leading Order Monte Carlo becomes feasible. Such a generator will entail the treatment of QCD color in the amplitudes. We extend the concept of color dressing to one-loop amplitudes, resulting in the formulation of an explicit algorithmic solution for the calculation of arbitrary scattering processes at Next-to-Leading order. The resulting algorithm is of exponential complexity, that is the numerical evaluation time of the virtual corrections grows by a constant multiplicative factor as the number of external partons is increased. To study the properties of the method, we calculate the virtual corrections to $n$-gluon scattering.Comment: 48 pages, 23 figure