Scalar one-loop integrals for QCD

We construct a basis set of infra-red and/or collinearly divergent scalar one-loop integrals and give analytic formulas, for tadpole, bubble, triangle and box integrals, regulating the divergences (ultra-violet, infra-red or collinear) by regularization in $D=4-2\epsilon$ dimensions. For scalar triangle integrals we give results for our basis set containing 6 divergent integrals. For scalar box integrals we give results for our basis set containing 16 divergent integrals. We provide analytic results for the 5 divergent box integrals in the basis set which are missing in the literature. Building on the work of van Oldenborgh, a general, publicly available code has been constructed, which calculates both finite and divergent one-loop integrals. The code returns the coefficients of $1/\epsilon^2,1/\epsilon^1$ and $1/\epsilon^0$ as complex numbers for an arbitrary tadpole, bubble, triangle or box integral.Comment: 27 pages, 5 figures, associated fortran code available at http://qcdloop.fnal.gov/. New version corrects typographical error in Eq. 5.

K-string tensions at finite temperature and integrable models

It has recently been pointed out that simple scaling properties of Polyakov correlation functions of gauge systems in the confining phase suggest that the ratios of k-string tensions in the low temperature region is constant up to terms of order T^3. Here we argue that, at least in a three-dimensional Z_4 gauge model, the above ratios are constant in the whole confining phase. This result is obtained by combining numerical experiments with known exact results on the mass spectrum of an integrable two-dimensional spin model describing the infrared behaviour of the gauge system near the deconfining transition.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, 1 tabl

On Gauge Invariance of Breit-Wigner Propagators

We present an approach to bosonic ($Z^0, W^{\pm}$) as well as fermionic (top-quark) Breit-Wigner propagators which is consistent with gauge invariance arguments. In particular, for the $Z^0$-boson propagator we extend previous analyses and show that the part proportional to $k_{\mu} k_{\nu}/M^2$ must be modified near the resonance. We derive a mass shift which agrees with results obtained elsewhere by different methods. The modified form of a resonant heavy fermion propagator is also given.Comment: 16 p., TeX, (final version

Large spin expansion of the long-range Baxter equation in the sl(2) sector of N=4 SYM

Recently, several multi-loop conjectures have been proposed for the spin dependence of anomalous dimensions of twist-2 and 3 operators in the sl(2) sector of N=4 SYM. Currently, these conjectures are not proven, although several consistency checks have been performed on their large spin expansion. In this paper, we show how these expansions can be efficiently computed without resorting to any conjecture. To this aim we present in full details a method to expand at large spin the solution of the long-range Baxter equation. We treat the twist-2 and 3 cases at two loops and the twist-3 case at three loops. Several subtleties arise whose resolution leads to a simple algorithm computing the expansion.Comment: 26 page

One-Loop NMHV Amplitudes involving Gluinos and Scalars in N=4 Gauge Theory

We use Supersymmetric Ward Identities and quadruple cuts to generate n-pt NMHV amplitudes involving gluinos and adjoint scalars from purely gluonic amplitudes. We present a set of factors that can be used to generate one-loop NMHV amplitudes involving gluinos or adjoint scalars in N=4 Super Yang-Mills from the corresponding purely gluonic amplitude.Comment: 16 pages, JHEP versio

Quantum collisions of finite-size ultrarelativistic nuclei

We show that the boost variable, the conjugate to the coordinate rapidity, which is associated with the center-of-mass motion, encodes the information about the finite size of colliding nuclei in a Lorentz-invariant way. The quasi-elastic forward color-changing scattering between the quantum boost states rapidly grows with the total energy of the collision and leads to an active breakdown of the color coherence at the earliest moments of the collision. The possible physical implications of this result are discussed.Comment: 23 pages, RevTeX. New references and two figures added. Final version accepted for publication in Physical Review

Unitarity-Cuts and Berry's Phase

Elaborating on the observation that two-particle unitarity-cuts of scattering amplitudes can be computed by applying Stokes' Theorem, we relate the Optical Theorem to the Berry Phase, showing how the imaginary part of arbitrary one-loop Feynman amplitudes can be interpreted as the flux of a complex 2-form.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figur

Unitarity and the Bethe-Salpeter Equation

We investigate the relation between different three-dimensional reductions of the Bethe-Salpeter equation and the analytic structure of the resultant amplitudes in the energy plane. This correlation is studied for both the $\phi^2\sigma$ interaction Lagrangian and the $\pi N$ system with $s$-, $u$-, and $t$-channel pole diagrams as driving terms. We observe that the equal-time equation, which includes some of the three-body unitarity cuts, gives the best agreement with the Bethe-Salpeter result. This is followed by other 3-D approximations that have less of the analytic structure.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures; RevTeX. Version accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

An algebraic/numerical formalism for one-loop multi-leg amplitudes

We present a formalism for the calculation of multi-particle one-loop amplitudes, valid for an arbitrary number N of external legs, and for massive as well as massless particles. A new method for the tensor reduction is suggested which naturally isolates infrared divergences by construction. We prove that for N>4, higher dimensional integrals can be avoided. We derive many useful relations which allow for algebraic simplifications of one-loop amplitudes. We introduce a form factor representation of tensor integrals which contains no inverse Gram determinants by choosing a convenient set of basis integrals. For the evaluation of these basis integrals we propose two methods: An evaluation based on the analytical representation, which is fast and accurate away from exceptional kinematical configurations, and a robust numerical one, based on multi-dimensional contour deformation. The formalism can be implemented straightforwardly into a computer program to calculate next-to-leading order corrections to multi-particle processes in a largely automated way.Comment: 71 pages, 7 figures, formulas for rank 6 pentagons added in Appendix

Inherited Twistor-Space Structure of Gravity Loop Amplitudes

At tree-level, gravity amplitudes are obtainable directly from gauge theory amplitudes via the Kawai, Lewellen and Tye closed-open string relations. We explain how the unitarity method allows us to use these relations to obtain coefficients of box integrals appearing in one-loop N=8 supergravity amplitudes from the recent computation of the coefficients for N=4 super-Yang-Mills non-maximally-helicity-violating amplitudes. We argue from factorisation that these box coefficients determine the one-loop N=8 supergravity amplitudes, although this remains to be proven. We also show that twistor-space properties of the N=8 supergravity amplitudes are inherited from the corresponding properties of N=4 super-Yang-Mills theory. We give a number of examples illustrating these ideas.Comment: 32 pages, minor typos correcte