Perturbative Relations between Gravity and Gauge Theory

We review the relations that have been found between multi-loop scattering amplitudes in gauge theory and gravity, and their implications for ultraviolet divergences in supergravity.Comment: LaTex with package axodraw.sty. 10 pages. Presented by L.D. at Strings 99. Cosmetic changes onl

Stringy KLT relations, global symmetries, and E_7(7) violation

We study consequences of the Kawai-Lewellen-Tye (KLT) relations applied to tree amplitudes in toroidal compactifications of string theory to four dimensions. The closed string tree amplitudes with massless external states respect a global SU(4)xSU(4) symmetry, which is enhanced to the SU(8) R-symmetry of N=8 supergravity in the field theory limit. Our analysis focuses on two aspects: (i) We provide a detailed account of the simplest SU(8)-violating amplitudes. We classify these processes and derive explicit superamplitudes for all local 5- and 6-point operators with SU(4)xSU(4) symmetry at order alpha'^3. Their origin is the dilatonic operator exp(-6 phi) R^4 in the closed-string effective action. (ii) We expand the 6-point closed string tree amplitudes to order alpha'^3 and use two different methods to isolate the SU(8)-singlet contribution from exp(-6 phi) R^4. This allows us to extract the matrix elements of the unique SU(8)-invariant supersymmetrization of R^4. Their single-soft scalar limits are non-vanishing. This demonstrates that the N=8 supergravity candidate counterterm R^4 is incompatible with continuous E_7(7) symmetry. From the soft scalar limits, we reconstruct to quadratic order the SU(8)-invariant function of scalars that multiplies R^4, and show that it satisfies the Laplace eigenvalue equation derived recently from supersymmetry and duality constraints.Comment: 23 pages, published versio

The D^{2k} R^4 Invariants of N=8 Supergravity

The existence of a linearized SUSY invariant for N=8 supergravity whose gravitational components are usually called R^4 was established long ago by on-shell superspace arguments. Superspace and string theory methods have also established analogous higher dimensional D^{2k} R^4 invariants. However, very little is known about the SUSY completions of these operators which involve other fields of the theory. In this paper we find the detailed component expansion of the linearized R^4 invariant starting from the corresponding superamplitude which generates all component matrix elements of the operator. It is then quite straightforward to extend results to the entire set of D^{2k} R^4 operators.Comment: 17 page

Tree Amplitudes and Two-loop Counterterms in D=11 Supergravity

We compute the tree level 4-particle bosonic scattering amplitudes in D=11 supergravity. By construction, they are part of a linearized supersymmetry-, coordinate- and 3-form gauge-invariant. While this on-shell invariant is nonlocal, suitable SUSY-preserving differentiations turn it into a local one with correct dimension to provide a natural lowest (two-loop) order counterterm candidate. Its existence shows explicitly that no symmetries protect this ultimate supergravity from the nonrenormalizability of its lower-dimensional counterparts.Comment: 14 page

R^4 counterterm and E7(7) symmetry in maximal supergravity

The coefficient of a potential R^4 counterterm in N=8 supergravity has been shown previously to vanish in an explicit three-loop calculation. The R^4 term respects N=8 supersymmetry; hence this result poses the question of whether another symmetry could be responsible for the cancellation of the three-loop divergence. In this article we investigate possible restrictions from the coset symmetry E7(7)/SU(8), exploring the limits as a single scalar becomes soft, as well as a double-soft scalar limit relation derived recently by Arkani-Hamed et al. We implement these relations for the matrix elements of the R^4 term that occurs in the low-energy expansion of closed-string tree-level amplitudes. We find that the matrix elements of R^4 that we investigated all obey the double-soft scalar limit relation, including certain non-maximally-helicity-violating six-point amplitudes. However, the single-soft limit does not vanish for this latter set of amplitudes, which suggests that the E7(7) symmetry is broken by the R^4 term.Comment: 33 pages, typos corrected, published versio

Extremal Black Attractors in 8D Maximal Supergravity

Motivated by the new higher D-supergravity solutions on intersecting attractors obtained by Ferrara et al. in [Phys.Rev.D79:065031-2009], we focus in this paper on 8D maximal supergravity with moduli space [SL(3,R)/SO(3)]x[SL(2,R)/SO(2)] and study explicitly the attractor mechanism for various configurations of extremal black p- branes (anti-branes) with the typical near horizon geometries AdS_{p+2}xS^{m}xT^{6-p-m} and p=0,1,2,3,4; 2<=m<=6. Interpretations in terms of wrapped M2 and M5 branes of the 11D M-theory on 3-torus are also given. Keywords: 8D supergravity, black p-branes, attractor mechanism, M-theory.Comment: 37 page

A simple approach to counterterms in N=8 supergravity

We present a simple systematic method to study candidate counterterms in N=8 supergravity. Complicated details of the counterterm operators are avoided because we work with the on-shell matrix elements they produce. All n-point matrix elements of an independent SUSY invariant operator of the form D^{2k} R^n +... must be local and satisfy SUSY Ward identities. These are strong constraints, and we test directly whether or not matrix elements with these properties can be constructed. If not, then the operator does not have a supersymmetrization, and it is excluded as a potential counterterm. For n>4, we find that R^n, D^2 R^n, D^4 R^n, and D^6 R^n are excluded as counterterms of MHV amplitudes, while only R^n and D^2 R^n are excluded at the NMHV level. As a consequence, for loop order L<7, there are no independent D^{2k}R^n counterterms with n>4. If an operator is not ruled out, our method constructs an explicit superamplitude for its matrix elements. This is done for the 7-loop D^4 R^6 operator at the NMHV level and in other cases. We also initiate the study of counterterms without leading pure-graviton matrix elements, which can occur beyond the MHV level. The landscape of excluded/allowed candidate counterterms is summarized in a colorful chart.Comment: 25 pages, 1 figure, published versio

The Orbifolds of Permutation-Type as Physical String Systems at Multiples of c=26 IV. Orientation Orbifolds Include Orientifolds

In this fourth paper of the series, I clarify the somewhat mysterious relation between the large class of {\it orientation orbifolds} (with twisted open-string CFT's at $\hat c=52$) and {\it orientifolds} (with untwisted open strings at $c=26$), both of which have been associated to division by world-sheet orientation-reversing automorphisms. In particular -- following a spectral clue in the previous paper -- I show that, even as an {\it interacting string system}, a certain half-integer-moded orientation orbifold-string system is in fact equivalent to the archetypal orientifold. The subtitle of this paper, that orientation orbifolds include and generalize standard orientifolds, then follows because there are many other orientation orbifold-string systems -- with higher fractional modeing -- which are not equivalent to untwisted string systems.Comment: 22 pages, typos correcte