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Results for “TWISTOR THEORY”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Rational QCD loop amplitudes and quantum theories on twistor space

We show how curing an anomaly of the twistor uplift of self-dual Yang-Mills theory implies linear relations among one-loop, n-gluon, color-ordered subamplitudes in QCD, when all n gluon helicities are positive, or when exactly one is negative. We compute the number of linearly independent subamplitudes as determined by these relations, in terms of unsigned Stirling numbers. Then we use a momentum-twistor parametrization to show that there are no further linear dependencies.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2013

On twistors and conformal field theories from six dimensions

We discuss chiral zero-rest-mass field equations on six-dimensional space-time from a twistorial point of view. Specifically, we present a detailed cohomological analysis, develop both Penrose and Penrose-Ward transforms, and analyse the corresponding contour integral formulae. We also give twistor space action principles. We then dimensionally reduce the twistor space of six-dimensional space-time to obtain twistor formulations of various theories in lower dimensions. Besides well-known twistor spaces, we also find a novel twistor space amongst these reductions, which turns out to be suitable for a twistorial description of self-dual strings. For these reduced twistor spaces, we explain the Penrose and Penrose-Ward transforms as well as contour integral formulae.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

One-loop corrections to the celestial chiral algebra from Koszul Duality

We consider self-dual Yang-Mills theory (SDYM) in four dimensions and its lift to holomorphic BF theory on twistor space. Following the work of Costello and Paquette, we couple SDYM to a quartic axion field, which guarantees associativity of the (extended) celestial chiral algebra at the quantum level. We demonstrate how to reproduce their one-loop quantum deformation to the chiral algebra using Koszul duality.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Celestial holography meets twisted holography: 4d amplitudes from chiral correlators

We propose a new program for computing a certain integrand of scattering amplitudes of four-dimensional gauge theories which we call the form factor integrand, starting from 6d holomorphic theories on twistor space. We show that the form factor integrands can be expressed as sums of products of 1.) correlators of a 2d chiral algebra, related to the algebra of asymptotic symmetries uncovered recently in the celestial holography program, and 2.) OPE coefficients of a 4d non-unitary CFT. We prove that conformal blocks of the chiral algebras are in one-to-one correspondence with local operators in 4d. We use this bijection to recover the Parke-Taylor formula, the CSW formula, and certain one-loop scattering amplitudes. Along the way, we explain and derive various aspects of celestial holography, incorporating techniques from the twisted holography program such as Koszul duality. This perspective allows us to easily and efficiently recover the infinite-dimensional chiral algebras of asymptotic symmetries recently extracted from scattering amplitudes of massless gluons and gravitons in the celestial basis. We also compute some simple one-loop corrections to the chiral algebras and derive the three-dimensional bulk theories for which these 2d algebras furnish an algebra of boundary local operators.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Supertwistors and massive particles

In the (super)twistor formulation of massless (super)particle mechanics, the mass-shell constraint is replaced by a “spin-shell” constraint from which the spin content can be read off. We extend this formalism to massive (super)particles (with N-extended space–time supersymmetry) in three and four space–time dimensions, explaining how the spin-shell constraints are related to spin, and we use it to prove equivalence of the massive N=1 and BPS-saturated N=2 superparticle actions. We also find the supertwistor form of the action for “spinning particles” with N-extended worldline supersymmetry, massless in four dimensions and massive in three dimensions, and we show how this simplifies special features of the N=2 case. -- Highlights: •Spin-shell constraints are related to Poincaré Casimirs. •Twistor form of 4D spinning particle for spin N/2. •Twistor proof of scalar/antisymmetric tensor equivalence for 4D spin 0. •Twistor form of 3D particle with arbitrary spin. •Proof of equivalence of N=1 and N=2 BPS massive 4D superparticles.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Twistor Actions for Integrable Systems

Many integrable systems can be reformulated as holomorphic vector bundles on twistor space. This is a powerful organizing principle in the theory of integrable systems. One shortcoming is that it is formulated at the level of the equations of motion. From this perspective, it is mysterious that integrable systems have Lagrangians. In this paper, we study a Chern-Simons action on twistor space and use it to derive the Lagrangians of some integrable sigma models. Our focus is on examples that come from dimensionally reduced gravity and supergravity. The dimensional reduction of general relativity to two spacetime dimensions is an integrable coset sigma model coupled to a dilaton and 2d gravity. The dimensional reduction of supergravity to two spacetime dimensions is an integrable coset sigma model coupled to matter fermions, a dilaton, and 2d supergravity. We derive Lax operators and Lagrangians for these 2d integrable systems using the Chern-Simons theory on twistor space. In the supergravity example, we use an extended setup in which twistor Chern-Simons theory is coupled to a pair of matter fermions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Grassmannians for scattering amplitudes in 4d $\mathcal{N}=4 $ SYM and 3d ABJM

Scattering amplitudes in 4d N=4 super Yang-Mills theory (SYM) can be described by Grassmannian contour integrals whose form depends on whether the external data is encoded in momentum space, twistor space, or momentum twistor space. Here, after a pedagogical review, we present a new, streamlined proof of the equivalence of the three integral formulations. A similar strategy allows us to derive a new Grassmannian integral for 3d N = 6 ABJM theory amplitudes in momentum twistor space: it is a contour integral in an orthogonal Grassmannian with the novel property that the internal metric depends on the external data. The result can be viewed as a central step towards developing an amplituhedron formulation for ABJM amplitudes. Various properties of Grassmannian integrals are examined, including boundary properties, pole structure, and a homological interpretation of the global residue theorems for N = 4 SYM.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2017

The Coulomb Branch of 3d $${\mathcal{N}= 4}$$ N = 4 Theories

We propose a construction for the quantum-corrected Coulomb branch of a general 3d gauge theory with N=4 supersymmetry, in terms of local coordinates associated with an abelianized theory. In a fixed complex structure, the holomorphic functions on the Coulomb branch are given by expectation values of chiral monopole operators. We construct the chiral ring of such operators, using equivariant integration over BPS moduli spaces. We also quantize the chiral ring, which corresponds to placing the 3d theory in a 2d Omega background. Then, by unifying all complex structures in a twistor space, we encode the full hyperkähler metric on the Coulomb branch. We verify our proposals in a multitude of examples, including SQCD and linear quiver gauge theories, whose Coulomb branches have alternative descriptions as solutions to Bogomolnyi and/or Nahm equations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2019

Unified formalism for 6D superamplitudes based on a symplectic Grassmannian

Recently, twistor-like formulations of tree amplitudes involving n massless particles have been proposed for various 6D supersymmetric theories. The formulas are based on two different forms of the scattering equations: one based on rational maps and the other based on polarized scattering equations. We show that both formulations can be interpreted in terms of a symplectic (or complex Lagrangian) Grassmannian, LG( n , 2 n ), and that they correspond to different ways of fixing the GL( n , C) symmetry of LG( n , 2 n ). This provides an understanding of the equivalence of these different-looking formulas, and it leads to new twistor-like formulas for 6D superamplitudes

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2017

M5-brane and D-brane scattering amplitudes

We present tree-level $\mathcal{n}$-particle on-shell scattering amplitudes of various brane theories with 16 conserved supercharges. These include the world-volume theory of a probe D3-brane or D5-brane in 10D Minkowski spacetime as well as a probe M5-brane in 11D Minkowski spacetime, which describes self interactions of an abelian tensor supermultiplet with 6D (2, 0) supersymmetry. Twistor-string-like formulas are proposed for tree-level scattering amplitudes of all multiplicities for each of these theories. The R symmetry of the D3-brane theory is shown to be SU(4) × U(1), and the U(1) factor implies that its amplitudes are helicity conserving. Each of 6D theories (D5-brane and M5-brane) reduces to the D3-brane theory by dimensional reduction. Conclusively, as special cases of the general M5-brane amplitudes, we present compact formulas for examples involving only the self-dual B field with $\mathcal{n}$ = 4, 6, 8.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Burns space and holography

We elaborate on various aspects of our top-down celestial holographic duality wherein the semiclassical bulk spacetime is a 4d asymptotically flat, self-dual Kähler geometry known as Burns space. The bulk theory includes an open string sector comprising a 4d WZW model and a closed string sector called “Mabuchi gravity” capturing fluctuations of the Kähler potential. Starting with the type I topological B-model on the twistor space of flat space, we obtain the twistor space of Burns space from the backreaction of a stack of N coincident D1 branes, while the chiral algebra is obtained from (a twist of) the brane worldvolume theory. One striking consequence of this duality is that all loop-level scattering amplitudes of the theory on Burns space can be expressed as correlation functions of an explicit 2d chiral algebra.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2017

A note on NMHV form factors from the Graßmannian and the twistor string

In this note we investigate Graßmannian formulas for form factors of the chiral part of the stress-tensor multiplet in N = 4 superconformal Yang-Mills theory. We present an all-n contour for the G(3, n + 2) Graßmannian integral of NMHV form factors derived from on-shell diagrams and the BCFW recursion relation. In addition, we study other G(3, n + 2) formulas obtained from the connected prescription introduced recently. We find a recursive expression for all n and study its properties. For n ≥ 6, our formula has the same recursive structure as its amplitude counterpart, making its soft behaviour manifest. Finally, we explore the connection between the two Graßmannian formulations, using the global residue theorem, and find that it is much more intricate compared to scattering amplitudes.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

The one-loop amplitudes for Higgs + 4 partons with full mass effects

We present compact analytic formulae for the one-loop amplitudes for Higgs + 4 parton scattering, $0 \to g g g g h$, $0 \to \bar{q} q gg h$ and $0\to \bar{q} q \bar{q}^\prime q^\prime h$, mediated by a loop of massive coloured quarks. We exploit the correspondence with a theory in which a massive coloured scalar circulates in the loop to avoid a proliferation in the number of terms in the result. In addition, we use momentum twistors and high precision numerical evaluations to simplify the expressions. The analytic results in this paper, in terms of spinor products, allow construction of an efficient numerical program to calculate the amplitude.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Towards the Gravituhedron: new expressions for NMHV gravity amplitudes

In this paper, we present new expressions for n-point NMHV tree-level gravity amplitudes. We introduce a method of factorization diagrams which is a simple graphical representation of R-invariants in Yang-Mills theory. We define the gravity analogues which we call G-invariants, and expand the NMHV gravity amplitudes in terms of these objects. We provide explicit formulas of NMHV gravity amplitudes up to eight points in terms of G-invariants, and give the general definition for any number of points. We discuss the connection to BCFW representation, special behavior under large momentum shift, the role of momentum twistors and the intricate web of spurious poles cancelation. Because of the close connection between R-invariants and the (tree-level) Amplituhedron for Yang-Mills amplitudes, we speculate that the new expansion for gravity amplitudes should correspond to the triangulation of the putative Gravituhedron geometry.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Loops of loops expansion in the amplituhedron

We study a novel geometric expansion for scattering amplitudes in the planar sector of $\mathcal{N}$ = 4 super Yang-Mills theory, in the context of the Amplituhedron which reproduces the all-loop integrand as a canonical differential form on the positive geometry. In a paper by Arkani-Hamed, Henn and one of the authors, it was shown that this result can be recast in terms of negative geometries with a certain hierarchy of loops (closed cycles) in the space of loop momenta, represented by lines in momentum twistor space. One can then calculate an all-loop order result in the approximation where only tree graphs in the space of all loops are considered. Furthermore, using differential equation methods, it is possible to calculate and resum integrated expressions and obtain strong coupling results. In this paper, we provide a more general framework for the ‘loops of loops’ expansion and outline a powerful method for the determination of differential forms for higher-order geometries. We solve the problem completely for graphs with one internal cycle, but the method can be used more generally for other geometries.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Modularity, quaternion-Kähler spaces, and mirror symmetry

We provide an explicit twistorial construction of quaternion-Kähler manifolds obtained by deformation of c-map spaces and carrying an isometric action of the modular group SL(2,Z). The deformation is not assumed to preserve any continuous isometry and therefore this construction presents a general framework for describing NS5-brane instanton effects in string compactifications with N= 2 supersymmetry. In this context the modular invariant parametrization of twistor lines found in this work yields the complete non-perturbative mirror map between type IIA and type IIB physical fields.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Celestial Quantum Error Correction. Part II. From qudits to celestial CFT

A holographic CFT description of asymptotically flat spacetimes inherits vacuum degeneracies and IR divergences from its gravitational dual. We devise a Quantum Error Correcting (QEC) framework to encode both effects as correctable fluctuations on the CFT dual. The framework is physically motivated by embedding a chain of qudits in the so-called Klein spacetime and then taking a continuum 𝑁 → ∞ limit. At finite 𝑁 the qudit chain 1) enjoys a discrete version of celestial symmetries and 2) supports a Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) code. The limit results in hard states with quantized BMS hair in the celestial torus forming the logical subspace, robust under errors induced by soft radiation. Technically, the construction leverages the recently studied 𝑤 1+∞ hierarchy of soft currents and its realization from a sigma model in twistor space.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Self-dual connections and the equations of fundamental fields in a Weyl-Cartan space

Spaces with a Weyl-type connection and torsion of a special type that are determined by the structure of the differentiability conditions in the algebra of complex quaternions are considered. These conditions are consistent only if the curvature of the connection is self-dual. The Maxwell and SL (2,ℂ) Yang-Mills fields associated with the irreducible components of the connection also turn out to be self-dual, so that the corresponding equations are fulfilled on the solutions of the generating system. Using the twistor structure of the latter, its general solution is obtained. The singular locus has a string-like (particle-like) structure generating the self-consistent algebraic dynamics of the string system.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗