Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics

Generic Feynman integrals are widely studied as solutions of Picard-Fuchs equations on moduli spaces of their parameters, and this calls for consideration of this phenomenon at a more basic level - of string amplitudes which are integrals over true non-singular module space of Riemann surfaces and their various generalizations. The main puzzle here is that a single string amplitude involves mane different particle diagrams, corresponding to different parts of the same moduli space, but different particle diagrams are usually believed to satisfy different equations, not unified into a common entity. We begin investigation of this problem, starting from Koba-Nielsen diagrams. While there is nothing interesting at this level for particles, the tree-level open bosonic string amplitudes satisfy non-trivial linear difference equations in kinematic variables. Moreover, the integration-by-parts on moduli space, standing behind Picard-Fuchs equations for particle loops, for strings are operative already at the tree level. We construct a complete system of such equations for arbitrary n-point tree amplitudes, with the number of independent relations matching the kinematic parameters. In variance with the particle case equations are difference ones rather than differential. The low-energy limit α→ 0 smoothly recovers the algebraic QFT structure.

We study off-shell n-particle form factors of half-BPS operators built from n complex scalar fields at the two-loop order in the planar maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory (sYM). These are known as minimal form factors. We construct their representation as a sum of independent scalar Feynman integrals relying on two complementary techniques. First, by going to the Coulomb branch of the theory by employing the spontaneous symmetry breaking which induces masses, but only for external particles while retaining masslessness for virtual states propagating in quantum loops. For a low number of external legs, this entails an uplift of massless integrands to their massive counterparts. Second, utilizing the N=1 superspace formulation of the N=4 sYM and performing algebra of covariant derivatives off-shell. Both techniques provide identical results. These form factors are then studied in the near-mass-shell limit with the off-shellness regularizing emerging infrared divergences. We observe their exponentiation and confirm the octagon anomalous dimension, not the cusp, as the coefficient of the Sudakov double logarithmic behavior. By subtracting these singularities and defining a finite remainder, we verified that its symbol is identical to the one found a decade ago in the conformal case. Beyond-the-symbol contributions are different in the two cases, however.

In this paper, we discuss the factorization of the Sudakov form factor on the Coulomb branch of maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in the near mass-shell limit. We unravel all pinch singularities of this observable making use of the Method of Regions. We find their operator content in terms of matrix elements of Wilson lines on semi-infinite and finite intervals for the jet and ultrasoft functions, respectively. However, naive factorization into these incoherent momentum components is broken at two-loop order by effects subleading in the parameter of dimensional regularization. To save the day, we perform an appropriate twisting of the functions involved as well as simultaneous finite scheme transformation of the 't Hooft coupling. Infrared physics of twisted jet and ultrasoft functions is governed by the octagon anomalous dimension, while the untwisted ultrasoft function possesses infrared evolution driven by an anomalous dimension different from the ubiquitous cusp.

We study the form factor of the lowest component of the stress-tensor multiplet away from the origin of the moduli space in the spontaneously broken, aka Coulomb, phase of the maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory for decay into three massive W-bosons. The calculations are done at two-loop order by deriving and solving canonical differential equations in the asymptotical limit of nearly vanishing W-masses. We confirm our previous findings that infrared physics of `off-shell observables' is governed by the octagon anomalous dimension rather than the cusp. In addition, the form factor in question possesses a nontrivial remainder function, which was found to be identical to the massless case, upon a proper subtraction of infrared logarithms (and finite terms). However, the iterative structure of the object is more intricate and is not simply related to the previous orders in coupling as opposed to amplitudes/form factors at the origin of the moduli space.