We present a formulation of the maximally supersymmetric N=4 gauge theory in Lorentz harmonic chiral (LHC) superspace. It is closely related to the twistor formulation of the theory but employs the simpler notion of Lorentz harmonic variables. They parametrize a two-sphere and allow us to handle efficiently infinite towers of higher-spin auxiliary fields defined on ordinary space-time. In this approach the chiral half of N=4 supersymmetry is manifest. The other half is realized non-linearly and the algebra closes on shell. We give a straightforward derivation of the Feynman rules in coordinate space. We show that the LHC formulation of the N=4 super-Yang-Mills theory is remarkably similar to the harmonic superspace formulation of the N=2 gauge and hypermultiplet matter theories. In the twin paper arXiv:1601.06804 we apply the LHC formalism to the study of the non-chiral multipoint correlation functions of the N=4 stress-tensor supermultiplet.
We study the multipoint super-correlation functions of the full non-chiral stress-tensor multiplet in N=4 super-Yang-Mills theory in the Born approximation. We derive effective supergraph Feynman rules for them. Surprisingly, the Feynman rules for the non-chiral correlators are obtained from those for the chiral correlators by a simple Grassmann shift of the space-time variables. We rely on the formulation of the theory in Lorentz harmonic chiral (LHC) superspace elaborated in the twin paper arXiv:1601.06803. In this approach only the chiral half of the supersymmetry is manifest. The other half is realized by nonlinear and nonlocal transformations of the LHC superfields. However, at Born level only the simple linear part of the transformations is relevant. It corresponds to effectively working in the self-dual sector of the theory. Our method is also applicable to a wider class of supermultiplets like all the half-BPS operators and the Konishi multiplet.
We find a formulation of $mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in Projective superspace. In particular we find an expression for the field strength in terms of an unconstrained prepotential which is desirable when quantizing the theory. We use this to write the action in terms of the prepotential and show that it reduces to the known result in the abelian limit.
We study event shapes in N=4 SYM describing the angular distribution of energy and R-charge in the final states created by the simplest half-BPS scalar operator. Applying the approach developed in the companion paper arXiv:1309.0769, we compute these observables using the correlation functions of certain components of the N=4 stress-tensor supermultiplet: the half-BPS operator itself, the R-symmetry current and the stress tensor. We present master formulas for the all-order event shapes as convolutions of the Mellin amplitude defining the correlation function of the half-BPS operators, with a coupling-independent kernel determined by the choice of the observable. We find remarkably simple relations between various event shapes following from N=4 superconformal symmetry. We perform thorough checks at leading order in the weak coupling expansion and show perfect agreement with the conventional calculations based on amplitude techniques. We extend our results to strong coupling using the correlation function of half-BPS operators obtained from the AdS/CFT correspondence.
Action of 4 dimensional N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory is written by employing the superfields in N=4 superspace which were used to prove the equivalence of its constraint equations and equations of motion. Integral forms of the extended superspace are engaged to collect all of the superfields in one master superfield. The proposed N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills action in extended superspace is shown to acquire a simple form in terms of the master superfield.
We reconstruct the action of $N=1, D=4$ Wess-Zumino and $N=1, 2, D=4$ super-Yang-Mills theories, using integral top forms on the supermanifold ${cal M}^{(4|4)}$. Choosing different Picture Changing Operators, we show the equivalence of their rheonomic and superspace actions. The corresponding supergeometry and integration theory are discussed in detail. This formalism is an efficient tool for building supersymmetric models in a geometrical framework.