The decay b -> s g at NLL in the Standard Model

I present the Standard Model calculation of the decay rate for b -> s g (g denotes a gluon) at next-to-leading logarithms (NLL). In order to get a meaningful physical result, the decay b -> s g g and certain contributions of b -> s \bar{f} f (where f are the light quark flavours u, d and s) have to be included as well. Numerically we get BR^(NLL) = (5.0 +/- 1.0) * 10^{-3} which is more than a factor 2 larger than the leading logarithmic result BR^(LL) = (2.2 +/- 0.8) * 10^{-3}. Further, I consider the impact of this contribution on the charmless hadronic branching ratio BRc, which could be used to extract the CKM-ratio |V_(ub)/V_(cb)| with more accuracy. Finally, I have a short look at BRc in scenarios where the Wilson coefficient C_8 is enhanced by new physics.Comment: 7 pages including 5 postscript figures; uses epsfi

Belokurov-Usyukina loop reduction in non-integer dimension

Belokurov-Usyukina loop reduction method has been proposed in 1983 to reduce a number of rungs in triangle ladder-like diagram by one. The disadvantage of the method is that it works in d=4 dimensions only and it cannot be used for calculation of amplitudes in field theory in which we are required to put all the incoming and outgoing momenta on shell. We generalize the Belokurov-Usyukina loop reduction technique to non-integer d=4-2e dimensions. In this paper we show how a two-loop triangle diagram with particular values of indices of scalar propagators in the position space can be reduced to a combination of three one-loop scalar diagrams. It is known that any one-loop massless momentum integral can be presented in terms of Appell's function F_4. This means that particular diagram considered in the present paper can be represented in terms of Appell's function F_4 too. Such a generalization of Belokurov-Usyukina loop reduction technique allows us to calculate that diagram by this method exactly without decomposition in terms of the parameter e.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Two loop QCD vertices at the symmetric point

We compute the triple gluon, quark-gluon and ghost-gluon vertices of QCD at the symmetric subtraction point at two loops in the MSbar scheme. In addition we renormalize each of the three vertices in their respective momentum subtraction schemes, MOMggg, MOMq and MOMh. The conversion functions of all the wave functions, coupling constant and gauge parameter renormalization constants of each of the schemes relative to MSbar are determined analytically. These are then used to derive the three loop anomalous dimensions of the gluon, quark, Faddeev-Popov ghost and gauge parameter as well as the beta-function in an arbitrary linear covariant gauge for each MOM scheme. There is good agreement of the latter with earlier Landau gauge numerical estimates of Chetyrkin and Seidensticker.Comment: 36 latex pages, anc directory contains txt file with anomalous dimensions, beta-functions, coupling constant mappings, conversion functions and amplitudes in analytic for

Banks-Zaks fixed point analysis in momentum subtraction schemes

We analyse the critical exponents relating to the quark mass anomalous dimension and beta-function at the Banks-Zaks fixed point in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) in a variety of representations for the quark in the momentum subtraction (MOM) schemes of Celmaster and Gonsalves. For a specific range of values of the number of quark flavours, estimates of the exponents appear to be scheme independent. Using the recent five loop modified minimal subtraction (MSbar) scheme quark mass anomalous dimension and estimates of the fixed point location we estimate the associated exponent as 0.263-0.268 for the SU(3) colour group and 12 flavours when the quarks are in the fundamental representation.Comment: 33 latex pages, 25 tables, anc directory contains txt file with electronic version of renormalization group function

Virtual O(\a_s) corrections to the inclusive decay b→sγb \to s \gamma

We present in detail the calculation of the O(\a_s) virtual corrections to the matrix element for b \to s \g. Besides the one-loop virtual corrections of the electromagnetic and color dipole operators $O_7$ and $O_8$, we include the important two-loop contribution of the four-Fermi operator $O_2$. By applying the Mellin-Barnes representation to certain internal propagators, the result of the two-loop diagrams is obtained analytically as an expansion in $m_c/m_b$. These results are then combined with existing O(\a_s) Bremsstrahlung corrections in order to obtain the inclusive rate for B \to X_s \g. The new contributions drastically reduce the large renormalization scale dependence of the leading logarithmic result. Thus a very precise Standard Model prediction for this inclusive process will become possible once also the corrections to the Wilson coefficients are available.Comment: 29 pages, uses epsfig.sty, 12 postscript figures include

From correlation functions to scattering amplitudes

We study the correlators of half-BPS protected operators in N=4 super-Yang-Mills theory, in the limit where the positions of the adjacent operators become light-like separated. We compute the loop corrections by means of Lagrangian insertions. The divergences resulting from the light-cone limit are regularized by changing the dimension of the integration measure over the insertion points. Switching from coordinates to dual momenta, we show that the logarithm of the correlator is identical with twice the logarithm of the matching MHV gluon scattering amplitude. We present a number of examples of this new relation, at one and two loops.Comment: typos corrected, references adde

From Correlators to Wilson Loops in Chern-Simons Matter Theories

We study n-point correlation functions for chiral primary operators in three dimensional supersymmetric Chern-Simons matter theories. Our analysis is carried on in N=2 superspace and covers N=2,3 supersymmetric CFT's, the N=6 ABJM and the N=8 BLG models. In the limit where the positions of adjacent operators become light-like, we find that the one-loop n-point correlator divided by its tree level expression coincides with a light-like n-polygon Wilson loop. Remarkably, the result can be simply expressed as a linear combination of five dimensional two-mass easy boxes. We manage to evaluate the integrals analytically and find a vanishing result, in agreement with previous findings for Wilson loops.Comment: 32 pages, 6 figures, JHEP

General massive one-loop off-shell three-point functions

In this work we compute the most general massive one-loop off-shell three-point vertex in D-dimensions, where the masses, external momenta, and exponents of propagators are arbitrary. This follows our previous paper in which we have calculated several new hypergeometric series representations for massless and massive (with equal masses) scalar one-loop three-point functions, in the negative dimensional approach.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figures, 4 table

On form factors in N=4 sym

In this paper we study the form factors for the half-BPS operators $\mathcal{O}^{(n)}_I$ and the $\mathcal{N}=4$ stress tensor supermultiplet current $W^{AB}$ up to the second order of perturbation theory and for the Konishi operator $\mathcal{K}$ at first order of perturbation theory in $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM theory at weak coupling. For all the objects we observe the exponentiation of the IR divergences with two anomalous dimensions: the cusp anomalous dimension and the collinear anomalous dimension. For the IR finite parts we obtain a similar situation as for the gluon scattering amplitudes, namely, apart from the case of $W^{AB}$ and $\mathcal{K}$ the finite part has some remainder function which we calculate up to the second order. It involves the generalized Goncharov polylogarithms of several variables. All the answers are expressed through the integrals related to the dual conformal invariant ones which might be a signal of integrable structure standing behind the form factors.Comment: 35 pages, 7 figures, LATEX2

Three-Point Functions of Twist-Two Operators in N=4 SYM at One Loop

We calculate three-point functions of two protected operators and one twist-two operator with arbitrary even spin j in N=4 SYM theory to one-loop order. In order to carry out the calculations we project the indices of the spin j operator to the light-cone and evaluate the correlator in a soft-limit where the momentum coming in at the spin j operator becomes zero. This limit largely simplifies the perturbative calculation, since all three-point diagrams effectively reduce to two-point diagrams and the dependence on the one-loop mixing matrix drops out completely. The results of our direct calculation are in agreement with the structure constants obtained by F.A. Dolan and H. Osborn from the operator product expansion of four-point functions of half-BPS operators.Comment: references update