Energy-energy correlations in N=4 SYM

We present a new approach to computing energy-energy correlations in gauge theories that exploits their relation to correlation functions and bypasses the use of scattering amplitudes. We illustrate its power by calculating energy-energy correlations in the maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory (N=4 SYM) in the next-to-leading order approximation.Comment: 5 page

Event shapes in N=4 super-Yang-Mills theory

We study event shapes in N=4 SYM describing the angular distribution of energy and R-charge in the final states created by the simplest half-BPS scalar operator. Applying the approach developed in the companion paper arXiv:1309.0769, we compute these observables using the correlation functions of certain components of the N=4 stress-tensor supermultiplet: the half-BPS operator itself, the R-symmetry current and the stress tensor. We present master formulas for the all-order event shapes as convolutions of the Mellin amplitude defining the correlation function of the half-BPS operators, with a coupling-independent kernel determined by the choice of the observable. We find remarkably simple relations between various event shapes following from N=4 superconformal symmetry. We perform thorough checks at leading order in the weak coupling expansion and show perfect agreement with the conventional calculations based on amplitude techniques. We extend our results to strong coupling using the correlation function of half-BPS operators obtained from the AdS/CFT correspondence.Comment: 52 pages, 6 figures; v2: typos correcte

From correlation functions to event shapes

We present a new approach to computing event shape distributions or, more precisely, charge flow correlations in a generic conformal field theory (CFT). These infrared finite observables are familiar from collider physics studies and describe the angular distribution of global charges in outgoing radiation created from the vacuum by some source. The charge flow correlations can be expressed in terms of Wightman correlation functions in a certain limit. We explain how to compute these quantities starting from their Euclidean analogues by means of a non-trivial analytic continuation which, in the framework of CFT, can elegantly be performed in Mellin space. The relation between the charge flow correlations and Euclidean correlation functions can be reformulated directly in configuration space, bypassing the Mellin representation, as a certain Lorentzian double discontinuity of the correlation function integrated along the cuts. We illustrate the general formalism in N=4 SYM, making use of the well-known results on the four-point correlation function of half-BPS scalar operators. We compute the double scalar flow correlation in N=4 SYM, at weak and strong coupling and show that it agrees with known results obtained by different techniques. One of the remarkable features of the N=4 theory is that the scalar and energy flow correlations are proportional to each other. Imposing natural physical conditions on the energy flow correlations (finiteness, positivity and regularity), we formulate additional constraints on the four-point correlation functions in N=4 SYM that should be valid at any coupling and away from the planar limit.Comment: 40 pages, 1 figure; v2: typos correcte

Infrared Finite Observables in N=8 Supergravity

Using the algorithm of constructing the IR finite observables suggested and discussed in details in our previous publications, we consider construction of such observables in N=8 SUGRA in NLO of PT. In general, contrary to the amplitudes defined in the presence of some IR regulator, such observables do not reveal any simple structure

Applications of dispersive sum rules: ϵ\epsilon-expansion and holography

We use Mellin space dispersion relations together with Polyakov conditions to derive a family of sum rules for Conformal Field Theories (CFTs). The defining property of these sum rules is suppression of the contribution of the double twist operators. Firstly, we apply these sum rules to the Wilson-Fisher model in $d=4-\epsilon$ dimensions. We re-derive many of the known results to order $\epsilon^4$ and we make new predictions. No assumption of analyticity down to spin $0$ was made. Secondly, we study holographic CFTs. We use dispersive sum rules to obtain tree-level and one-loop anomalous dimensions. Finally, we briefly discuss the contribution of heavy operators to the sum rules in UV complete holographic theories.Comment: 36p, 5 fi

Conformal field theories and deep inelastic scattering

Theoretical Physic

Aspects of the N=4 SYM amplitude -- Wilson polygon duality

We discuss formulation of Wilson polygon - MHV amplitude duality at the perturbative level in various regularizations. For four gluons it is shown that at one loop one can formulate diagrammatic correspondence interpolating between the dimensional regularization and the off-shell one. We suggest new interpretation of all types of box diagrams in terms of the dual simplex in dimensional regularization and describe its degeneration to the Wilson polygon. The interesting nullification phenomena for the low-energy amplitudes in the Higgsed phase has been found.Comment: 26 pages, 9 figure

Mixed-symmetry tensor conserved currents and AdS/CFT correspondence

We present the full list of conserved currents built of two massless spinor fields in Minkowski space and their derivatives multiplied by Clifford algebra elements. The currents have particular mixed-symmetry type described by Young diagrams with one row and one column of arbitrary lengths and heights. Along with Yukawa-like totally antisymmetric currents the complete set of constructed currents exactly matches the spectrum of AdS mixed-symmetry fields arising in the generalized Flato-Fronsdal theorem for two spinor singletons. As a by-product, we formulate and study general properties of primary fields and conserved currents of mixed-symmetry type.Comment: 17 pages; v2: typos corrected, clarifications and refs added; v3: more explanations and refs added; contribution to the J.Phys.A special volume on "Higher Spin Theories and AdS/CFT" edited by Matthias Gaberdiel and Mikhail Vasilie