Metaplectic group schemes

Given a reductive group scheme $G$, we give a linear algebraic description of reduced \'etale $4$-cocycles on its classifying stack $\mathrm B(G)$. These cocycles form a $2$-groupoid, which we interpret as parameters of metaplectic covers of $G$. We use our linear algebraic description to define the Langlands dual of a metaplectic cover.Comment: 50 page

Positivity and the Bootstrap

Celestial amplitudes describe scattering in a basis of boost eigenstates. In this basis, 4-point scattering is characterized by two variables: the sum over the boost weights $\beta$ which is dual to the center of mass energy, and a cross ratio $z$ related to the bulk scattering angle. In this talk I will describe two aspects of the physics captured by the $\beta$ and $z$ dependence. I will first show that the UV behavior of 4-point scattering is encoded in the analytic structure of celestial amplitudes in the complex $\beta$ plane. The residues of the poles at negative even integer $\beta$ are related to coefficients of higher-dimension operators in the low-energy effective action hence subject to positivity constraints, while poles at positive even integer $\beta$ arise from UV asymptotics. I will then show that the $z$ dependence contains information about the celestial spectrum and three-point couplings. For scalar 4-point scattering mediated by massive exchange, the conformal blocks include massive scalar states with positive integer conformal weights, as well as intermediate exchanges of spinning light-ray states

Multivariate Analysis in the Reconstruction of Photon/Electron Energies in the CMS

A new semi-parametric multivariate regression was used to improve the energy reconstruction in the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter. The method is based on the generation of boosted decision trees by optimizing the parameters of the double crystal ball function fitted to the ratio of the raw to generated energies of simulated photons and electrons. The full training was done on half the electrons with generated transverse momenta p$_{T}\geq$ 16 GeV in the barrel and corrections were applied to subsets of the remaining events. The dependence of the means and widths of the resulting distributions on p$_{T}$ was deduced. The corrected reconstructed energies peak close 1 for p$_{T}$ values down to 16 GeV. It was found that fixing $\alpha$ of the double crystal ball function in the training improves its performance

Loop-corrected Virasoro symmetry of 4D quantum gravity

Abstract Recently a boundary energy-momentum tensor T zz has been constructed from the soft graviton operator for any 4D quantum theory of gravity in asymptotically flat space. Up to an “anomaly” which is one-loop exact, T zz generates a Virasoro action on the 2D celestial sphere at null infinity. Here we show by explicit construction that the effects of the IR divergent part of the anomaly can be eliminated by a one-loop renormalization that shifts T zz

Eikonal approximation in celestial CFT

Abstract We identify an eikonal regime in celestial CFT2 in which massless 2-2 scattering is dominated by t-channel exchange. We derive a formula for the celestial amplitude that resums exchanges of arbitrary integer spin to all orders in the coupling. The resulting eikonal phase takes the same form as in flat space with the powers of center-of-mass energy replaced by weight-shifting operators on the celestial sphere. We independently compute the celestial two-point function for a scalar propagating in a shockwave background and show that to leading order in the gravitational coupling and for a suitable choice of the source, the result agrees with the prediction from the celestial eikonal formula for graviton exchange. We demonstrate that this two-point function can be directly obtained from the corresponding formula in AdS4 in a flat space limit. We finally establish a general relation between scalar celestial amplitudes in celestial CFT d−1 and the flat space limit of scalar AdS d+1 Witten diagrams

Gravitational memory in higher dimensions

Abstract It is shown that there is a universal gravitational memory effect measurable by inertial detectors in even spacetime dimensions d ≥ 4. The effect falls off at large radius r as r 3−d . Moreover this memory effect sits at one corner of an infrared triangle with the other two corners occupied by Weinberg’s soft graviton theorem and infinite-dimensional asymptotic symmetries

The SAGEX Review on Scattering Amplitudes, Chapter 11: Soft Theorems and Celestial Amplitudes

The soft limits of scattering amplitudes have been extensively studied due to their essential role in the computation of physical observables in collider physics. The universal factorisation that occurs in these kinematic limits has been shown to be related to conservation laws associated with asymptotic, or large, gauge symmetries. This connection has led to a deeper understanding of the symmetries of gauge and gravitational theories and to a reformulation of scattering amplitudes in a basis of boost eigenstates which makes manifest the two-dimensional global conformal symmetry of the celestial sphere. The recast, or celestial, amplitudes possess many of the properties of conformal field theory correlation functions which has suggested a path towards a holographic description of asymptotically flat spacetimes. In this review we consider these interconnected developments in our understanding of soft theorems, asymptotic symmetries and conformal field theory with a focus on the structure and symmetries of the celestial amplitudes and their holographic interpretation

The SAGEX Review on Scattering Amplitudes, Chapter 11: Soft Theorems and Celestial Amplitudes

The soft limits of scattering amplitudes have been extensively studied due to their essential role in the computation of physical observables in collider physics. The universal factorisation that occurs in these kinematic limits has been shown to be related to conservation laws associated with asymptotic, or large, gauge symmetries. This connection has led to a deeper understanding of the symmetries of gauge and gravitational theories and to a reformulation of scattering amplitudes in a basis of boost eigenstates which makes manifest the two-dimensional global conformal symmetry of the celestial sphere. The recast, or celestial, amplitudes possess many of the properties of conformal field theory correlation functions which has suggested a path towards a holographic description of asymptotically flat spacetimes. In this review we consider these interconnected developments in our understanding of soft theorems, asymptotic symmetries and conformal field theory with a focus on the structure and symmetries of the celestial amplitudes and their holographic interpretation.Comment: 49 pages, 3 figures, see also the overview article arXiv:2203.1301

On infinite symmetry algebras in Yang-Mills theory

Abstract Similar to gravity, an infinite tower of symmetries generated by higher-spin charges has been identified in Yang-Mills theory by studying collinear limits or celestial operator products of gluons. This work aims to recover this loop symmetry in terms of charge aspects constructed on the gluonic Fock space. We propose an explicit construction for these higher spin charge aspects as operators which are polynomial in the gluonic annihilation and creation operators. The core of the paper consists of a proof that the charges we propose form a closed loop algebra to quadratic order. This closure involves using the commutator of the cubic order expansion of the charges with the linear (soft) charge. Quite remarkably, this shows that this infinite-dimensional symmetry constrains the non-linear structure of Yang-Mills theory. We provide a similar all spin proof in gravity for the so-called global quadratic (hard) charges which form the loop wedge subalgebra of w 1+∞

Sub-subleading soft graviton theorem from asymptotic Einstein???s equations

We identify in Einstein gravity an asymptotic spin-$2$ charge aspect whose conservation equation gives rise, after quantization, to the sub-subleading soft theorem. Our treatment reveals that this spin-$2$ charge generates a non-local spacetime symmetry represented at null infinity by pseudo-vector fields. Moreover, we demonstrate that the non-linear nature of Einstein's equations is reflected in the Ward identity through collinear corrections to the sub-subleading soft theorem. Our analysis also provides a unified treatment of the universal soft theorems as conservation equations for the spin-0,-1,-2 canonical generators, while highlighting the important role played by the dual mass.Comment: 36 pages; v2 minor revisio