Skip to main content
Log in

New expressions for gravitational scattering amplitudes

  • Published:
Journal of High Energy Physics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

New methods are introduced for evaluating tree-level gravitational scattering amplitudes. A new N=7 super-symmetric recursion yields amplitudes free from the spurious double poles of the N=8 theory. This is illustrated by a new nine-term expression for the six-graviton NMHV amplitude. The general scheme also implies a simplified recurrence relation for MHV amplitudes. We show how this relation is satisfied by a new expression for MHV amplitudes, far simpler than those hitherto identified, and exhibiting manifest S n symmetry. This reformulation is related to a new momentum-twistor representation of the MHV amplitudes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. D.C. Dunbar, J.H. Ettle and W.B. Perkins, Constructing Gravity Amplitudes from Real Soft and Collinear Factorisation, Phys. Rev. D 86 (2012) 026009 [arXiv:1203.0198] [INSPIRE].

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. D. Nguyen, M. Spradlin, A. Volovich and C. Wen, The Tree Formula for MHV Graviton Amplitudes, JHEP 07 (2010) 045 [arXiv:0907.2276] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. R. Britto, F. Cachazo, B. Feng and E. Witten, Direct proof of tree-level recursion relation in Yang-Mills theory, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94 (2005) 181602 [hep-th/0501052] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. F.A. Berends, W. Giele and H. Kuijf, On relations between multi - gluon and multigraviton scattering, Phys. Lett. B 211 (1988) 91 [INSPIRE].

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. L. Mason and D. Skinner, Gravity, Twistors and the MHV Formalism, Commun. Math. Phys. 294 (2010) 827 [arXiv:0808.3907] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  MATH  Google Scholar 

  6. R. Penrose and M.A.H. MacCallum, Twistor theory: an approach to the quantisation of fields and space-time, Physics Reports 4 (1972) 241.

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  7. J.J. Carrasco and H. Johansson, Five-Point Amplitudes in N = 4 super-Yang-Mills Theory and N = 8 Supergravity, Phys. Rev. D 85 (2012) 025006 [arXiv:1106.4711] [INSPIRE].

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. N. Arkani-Hamed, J.L. Bourjaily, F. Cachazo, A.B. Goncharov, A. Postnikov and J. Trnka, Scattering Amplitudes and the Positive Grassmannian, arXiv:1212.5605 [INSPIRE].

  9. T. Adamo and L. Mason, Twistor-strings and gravity tree amplitudes, Class. Quant. Grav. 30 (2013)075020 [arXiv:1207.3602] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. F. Cachazo and Y. Geyer, ATwistor StringInspired Formula For Tree-Level Scattering Amplitudes in N = 8 SUGRA, arXiv:1206.6511 [INSPIRE].

  11. D. Skinner, Twistor Strings for N = 8 Supergravity, arXiv:1301.0868 [INSPIRE].

  12. A. Hodges, Eliminating spurious poles from gauge-theoretic amplitudes, JHEP 05 (2013) 135 [arXiv:0905.1473] [INSPIRE].

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. A.P. Hodges, Twistor diagram recursion for all gauge-theoretic tree amplitudes, hep-th/0503060 [INSPIRE].

  14. A.P. Hodges, Twistor diagrams for all tree amplitudes in gauge theory: A Helicity-independent formalism, hep-th/0512336 [INSPIRE].

  15. A.P. Hodges, Scattering amplitudes for eight gauge fields, hep-th/0603101 [INSPIRE].

  16. N. Arkani-Hamed, F. Cachazo, C. Cheung and J. Kaplan, The S-matrix in Twistor Space, JHEP 03 (2010) 110 [arXiv:0903.2110] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. N. Arkani-Hamed, F. Cachazo, C. Cheung and J. Kaplan, A Duality For The S Matrix, JHEP 03 (2010) 020 [arXiv:0907.5418] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. N. Arkani-Hamed, personal communication.

  19. N. Arkani-Hamed, Scattering without space-time, presentation given at the RP80 Oxford conference Twistors, Geometry and Physics, Oxford, U.K., 21–22 July 2011 http://people.maths.ox.ac.uk/lmason/RP80/nima.pdf.

  20. R. Penrose, Twistor theory, its aims and achievements, in Quantum Gravity, C.J. Isham, R. Penrose and D.W. Sciama eds., Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. (1975).

  21. J. Drummond, M. Spradlin, A. Volovich and C. Wen, Tree-Level Amplitudes in N = 8 Supergravity, Phys. Rev. D 79 (2009) 105018 [arXiv:0901.2363] [INSPIRE].

    MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. F. Cachazo and P. Svrček, Tree level recursion relations in general relativity, hep-th/0502160 [INSPIRE].

  23. B.S. DeWitt, Quantum Theory of Gravity. 3. Applications of the Covariant Theory, Phys. Rev. 162 (1967) 1239 [INSPIRE].

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. H. Elvang, Y.-t. Huang and C. Peng, On-shell superamplitudes in N < 4 SYM, JHEP 09 (2011) 031 [arXiv:1102.4843] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. H. Kawai, D. Lewellen and S. Tye, A Relation Between Tree Amplitudes of Closed and Open Strings, Nucl. Phys. B 269 (1986) 1 [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  26. Y.t. Huang, private communication (2011).

  27. J.L. Bourjaily, Efficient Tree-Amplitudes in N = 4: Automatic BCFW Recursion in Mathematica, arXiv:1011.2447 [INSPIRE].

  28. J. Bedford, A. Brandhuber, B.J. Spence and G. Travaglini, A Recursion relation for gravity amplitudes, Nucl. Phys. B 721 (2005) 98 [hep-th/0502146] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  29. E. Conde and S. Rajabi, The Twelve-Graviton Next-to-MHV Amplitude from Risagers Construction, JHEP 09 (2012) 120 [arXiv:1205.3500] [INSPIRE].

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  30. N. Arkani-Hamed, F. Cachazo and J. Kaplan, What is the Simplest Quantum Field Theory?, JHEP 09 (2010) 016 [arXiv:0808.1446] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  31. C. Cheung, Gravity Amplitudes from n-Space, JHEP 12 (2012) 057 [arXiv:1207.4458] [INSPIRE].

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  32. S.G. Naculich, H. Nastase and H.J. Schnitzer, Applications of Subleading Color Amplitudes in N = 4 SYM Theory, Adv. High Energy Phys. 2011 (2011) 190587 [arXiv:1105.3718] [INSPIRE].

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  33. N. Arkani-Hamed, J.L. Bourjaily, F. Cachazo, A. Hodges and J. Trnka, A Note on Polytopes for Scattering Amplitudes, JHEP 04 (2012) 081 [arXiv:1012.6030] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew Hodges.

Additional information

ArXiv ePrint: 1108.2227

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hodges, A. New expressions for gravitational scattering amplitudes. J. High Energ. Phys. 2013, 75 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP07(2013)075

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP07(2013)075

Keywords

Navigation