Multi-Regge kinematics and the moduli space of Riemann spheres with marked points

We show that scattering amplitudes in planar N = 4 Super Yang-Mills in multi-Regge kinematics can naturally be expressed in terms of single-valued iterated integrals on the moduli space of Riemann spheres with marked points. As a consequence, scattering amplitudes in this limit can be expressed as convolutions that can easily be computed using Stokes' theorem. We apply this framework to MHV amplitudes to leading-logarithmic accuracy (LLA), and we prove that at L loops all MHV amplitudes are determined by amplitudes with up to L + 4 external legs. We also investigate non-MHV amplitudes, and we show that they can be obtained by convoluting the MHV results with a certain helicity flip kernel. We classify all leading singularities that appear at LLA in the Regge limit for arbitrary helicity configurations and any number of external legs. Finally, we use our new framework to obtain explicit analytic results at LLA for all MHV amplitudes up to five loops and all non-MHV amplitudes with up to eight external legs and four loops.Comment: 104 pages, six awesome figures and ancillary files containing the results in Mathematica forma

Heterotic strings on G_2 orbifolds

We study compactification of heterotic strings to three dimensions on orbifolds of G_2 holonomy. We consider the standard embedding and show that the gauge group is broken from E_8 x E_8 or SO(32) to F_4 x E_8 or SO(25) respectively. We also compute the spectrum of massless states and compare with the results obtained from reduction of the 10-dimensional fields. Non-standard embeddings are discussed briefly. For type II compactifications we verify that IIB and IIA have equal massless spectrum.Comment: LaTex, 21 page

On the breaking of collinear factorization in QCD

We investigate the breakdown of collinear factorization for non-inclusive observables in hadron-hadron collisions. For pure QCD processes, factorization is violated at the three-loop level and it has a structure identical to that encountered previously in the case of super-leading logarithms. In particular, it is driven by the non-commutation of Coulomb/Glauber gluon exchanges with other soft exchanges. Beyond QCD, factorization may be violated at the two-loop level provided that the hard subprocess contains matrix element contributions with phase differences between different colour topologies.Comment: Version 2: minor improvements for journal publicatio

The last of the simple remainders

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Bootstrapping the QCD soft anomalous dimension

SCOAP

The non-Abelian gauge theory of matrix big bangs

We study at the classical and quantum mechanical level the time-dependent Yang-Mills theory that one obtains via the generalisation of discrete light-cone quantisation to singular homogeneous plane waves. The non-Abelian nature of this theory is known to be important for physics near the singularity, at least as far as the number of degrees of freedom is concerned. We will show that the quartic interaction is always subleading as one approaches the singularity and that close enough to t=0 the evolution is driven by the diverging tachyonic mass term. The evolution towards asymptotically flat space-time also reveals some surprising features.Comment: 29 pages, 8 eps figures, v2: minor changes, references added: v3 small typographical changes

Curvature formula for the space of 2-d conformal field theories

We derive a formula for the curvature tensor of the natural Riemannian metric on the space of two-dimensional conformal field theories and also a formula for the curvature tensor of the space of boundary conformal field theories.Comment: 36 pages, 1 figure; v2 references adde

Differential equations for multi-loop integrals and two-dimensional kinematics

In this paper we consider multi-loop integrals appearing in MHV scattering amplitudes of planar N=4 SYM. Through particular differential operators which reduce the loop order by one, we present explicit equations for the two-loop eight-point finite diagrams which relate them to massive hexagons. After the reduction to two-dimensional kinematics, we solve them using symbol technology. The terms invisible to the symbols are found through boundary conditions coming from double soft limits. These equations are valid at all-loop order for double pentaladders and allow to solve iteratively loop integrals given lower-loop information. Comments are made about multi-leg and multi-loop integrals which can appear in this special kinematics. The main motivation of this investigation is to get a deeper understanding of these tools in this configuration, as well as for their application in general four-dimensional kinematics and to less supersymmetric theories.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figure