Maximally supersymmetric RG flows in 4D and integrability

We revisit the leading irrelevant deformation of $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 Super Yang-Mills theory that preserves sixteen supercharges. We consider the deformed theory on S3× ℝ. We are able to write a closed form expression of the classical action thanks to a formalism that realizes eight supercharges off shell. We then investigate integrability of the spectral problem, by studying the spin-chain Hamiltonian in planar perturbation theory. While there are some structural indications that a suitably defined deformation might preserve integrability, we are unable to settle this question by our two-loop calculation; indeed up to this order we recover the integrable Hamiltonian of undeformed $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 SYM due to accidental symmetry enhancement. We also comment on the holographic interpretation of the theory.

Heptagon functions and seven-gluon amplitudes in multi-Regge kinematics

We compute all 2 → 5 gluon scattering amplitudes in planar $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory in the multi-Regge limit that is sensitive to the non-trivial (“long”) Regge cut. We provide the amplitudes through four loops and to all logarithmic accuracy at leading power, in terms of single-valued multiple polylogarithms of two variables. To obtain these results, we leverage the function-level results for the amplitudes in the Steinmann cluster bootstrap. To high powers in the series expansion in the two variables, our results agree with the recently conjectured all-order central emission vertex used in the Fourier-Mellin representation of amplitudes in multi-Regge kinematics. Our results therefore provide a resummation of the Fourier-Mellin residues into single-valued polylogarithms, and constitute an important cross-check between the bootstrap approach and the all-orders multi-Regge proposal.

Real Valued Functions for the BFKL Eigenvalue

We consider known expressions for the eigenvalue of the Balitsky-Fadin-Kuraev-Lipatov (BFKL) equation in N=4 super Yang-Mills theory as a real valued function of two variables. We define new real valued functions of two complex conjugate variables that have a definite complexity analogous to the weight of the nested harmonic sums. We argue that those functions span a general space of functions for the BFKL eigenvalue at any order of the perturbation theory.

Tropical fans, scattering equations and amplitudes

We describe a family of tropical fans related to Grassmannian cluster algebras. These fans are related to the kinematic space of massless scattering processes in a number of ways. For each fan associated to the Grassmannian Gr(k, n) there is a notion of a generalised ϕ3 amplitude and an associated set of scattering equations which further generalise the Gr(k, n) scattering equations that have been recently introduced. Here we focus mostly on the cases related to finite Grassmannian cluster algebras and we explain how face variables for the cluster polytopes are simply related to the scattering equations. For the Grassmannians Gr(4, n) the tropical fans we describe are related to the singularities (or symbol letters) of loop amplitudes in planar $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 super Yang-Mills theory. We show how each choice of tropical fan leads to a natural class of polylogarithms, generalising the notion of cluster adjacency and we describe how the currently known loop data fit into this classification.

SL(3, ℤ) Modularity and New Cardy limits of the $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 4 superconformal index

The entropy of 1/16-th BPS AdS5 black holes can be microscopically accounted for by the superconformal index of the $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory. One way to compute this is through a Cardy-like limit of a formula for the index obtained in [1] using the “S-transformation” of the elliptic Γ function. In this paper, we derive more general SL(3, ℤ) modular properties of the elliptic Γ function. We then use these properties to obtain a three integer parameter family of generalized Cardy-like limits of the $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 superconformal index. From these limits, we obtain entropy formulae that have a similar form as that of the original AdS5 black hole, up to an overall rescaling of the entropy. We interpret this both on the field theory and the gravitational side. Finally, we comment on how our work suggests a generalization of the Farey tail to four dimensions.

The Grassmannian for celestial superamplitudes

Recently, scattering amplitudes in four-dimensional Minkowski spacetime have been interpreted as conformal correlation functions on the two-dimensional celestial sphere, the so-called celestial amplitudes. In this note we consider tree-level scattering amplitudes in $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 super Yang-Mills theory and present a Grassmannian formulation of their celestial counterparts. This result paves the way towards a geometric picture for celestial superamplitudes, in the spirit of positive geometries.

Hexagon bootstrap in the double scaling limit

We study the six-particle amplitude in planar $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 super Yang-Mills theory in the double scaling (DS) limit, the only nontrivial codimension-one boundary of its positive kinematic region. We construct the relevant function space, which is significantly constrained due to the extended Steinmann relations, up to weight 13 in coproduct form, and up to weight 12 as an explicit polylogarithmic representation. Expanding the latter in the collinear boundary of the DS limit, and using the Pentagon Operator Product Expansion, we compute the non-divergent coefficient of a certain component of the Next-to-Maximally-Helicity-Violating amplitude through weight 12 and eight loops. We also specialize our results to the overlapping origin limit, observing a general pattern for its leading divergences.

Symbol alphabets from plabic graphs III: n = 9

Symbol alphabets of n-particle amplitudes in $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory are known to contain certain cluster variables of G(4, n) as well as certain algebraic functions of cluster variables. In this paper we solve the C Z = 0 matrix equations associated to several cells of the totally non-negative Grassmannian, combining methods of arXiv:2012.15812 for rational letters and arXiv:2007.00646 for algebraic letters. We identify sets of parameterizations of the top cell of G+(5, 9) for which the solutions produce all of (and only) the cluster variable letters of the 2-loop nine-particle NMHV amplitude, and identify plabic graphs from which all of its algebraic letters originate.

Non-negativity of BMN two-point functions with three string modes

Recently, we proposed a novel entry of the pp-wave holographic dictionary, which equated the Berenstein-Maldacena-Nastase (BMN) two-point functions in free $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory with the norm squares of the quantum unitary transition amplitudes between the corresponding tensionless strings in the infinite curvature limit, for the cases with no more than three string modes in different transverse directions. A seemingly highly non-trivial conjectural consequence, particularly in the case of three string modes, is the non-negativity of the BMN two-point functions at any higher genus for any mode numbers. In this paper, we further perform the detailed calculations of the BMN two-point functions with three string modes at genus two, and explicitly verify that they are always non-negative through mostly extensive numerical tests.

Exact 1/N expansion of Wilson loop correlators in $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 4 Super-Yang-Mills theory

Supersymmetric circular Wilson loops in $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 Super-Yang-Mills theory are discussed starting from their Gaussian matrix model representations. Previous results on the generating functions of Wilson loops are reviewed and extended to the more general case of two different loop contours, which is needed to discuss coincident loops with opposite orientations. A combinatorial formula representing the connected correlators of multiply wound Wilson loops in terms of the matrix model solution is derived. Two new results are obtained on the expectation value of the circular Wilson loop, the expansion of which into a series in 1/N and to all orders in the ’t Hooft coupling λ was derived by Drukker and Gross about twenty years ago. The connected correlators of two multiply wound Wilson loops with arbitrary winding numbers are calculated as a series in 1/N. The coefficient functions are derived not only as power series in λ, but also to all orders in λ by expressing them in terms of the coefficients of the Drukker and Gross series. This provides an efficient way to calculate the 1/N series, which can probably be generalized to higher-point correlators.