Color-dressed string disk amplitudes and the descent algebra

Inspired by the definition of color-dressed amplitudes in string theory, we define analogous color-dressed permutations replacing the color-ordered string amplitudes by their corresponding permutations. Decomposing the color traces into symmetrized traces and structure constants, the color-dressed permutations define BRST-invariant permutations, which we show are elements of the inverse Solomon descent algebra. Comparing both definitions suggests a duality between permutations in the inverse descent algebra and kinematics from the higher $alpha$ sector of string disk amplitudes. We analyze the symmetries of the $alpha$ disk corrections and obtain a new decomposition for them, leading to their dimensions given by sums of Stirling cycle numbers. The descent algebra also leads to the interpretation that the ${alpha}^2zeta_2$ correction is orthogonal to the field-theory amplitudes as well as their respective tails of BCJ-preserving interactions. In addition, we show how the superfield expansion of BRST invariants of the pure spinor formalism corresponding to ${alpha}^2$ corrections are encoded in the descent algebra.

Planar binary trees in scattering amplitudes

These notes are a written version of my talk given at the CARMA workshop in June 2017, with some additional material. I presented a few concepts that have recently been used in the computation of tree-level scattering amplitudes (mostly using pure spinor methods but not restricted to it) in a context that could be of interest to the combinatorics community. In particular, I focused on the appearance of {it planar binary trees} in scattering amplitudes and presented some curious identities obeyed by related objects, some of which are known to be true only via explicit examples.

Towards closed strings as single-valued open strings at genus one

We relate the low-energy expansions of world-sheet integrals in genus-one amplitudes of open- and closed-string states. The respective expansion coefficients are elliptic multiple zeta values in the open-string case and non-holomorphic modular forms dubbed modular graph forms for closed strings. By inspecting the differential equations and degeneration limits of suitable generating series of genus-one integrals, we identify formal substitution rules mapping the elliptic multiple zeta values of open strings to the modular graph forms of closed strings. Based on the properties of these rules, we refer to them as an elliptic single-valued map which generalizes the genus-zero notion of a single-valued map acting on multiple zeta values seen in tree-level relations between the open and closed string.

Two-loop superstring five-point amplitudes II: Low energy expansion and S-duality

In an earlier paper, we constructed the genus-two amplitudes for five external massless states in Type II and Heterotic string theory, and showed that the alpha expansion of the Type II amplitude reproduces the corresponding supergravity amplitude to leading order. In this paper, we analyze the effective interactions induced by Type IIB superstrings beyond supergravity, both for U(1)_R-preserving amplitudes such as for five gravitons, and for U(1)_R-violating amplitudes such as for one dilaton and four gravitons. At each order in alpha, the coefficients of the effective interactions are given by integrals over moduli space of genus-two modular graph functions, generalizing those already encountered for four external massless states. To leading and sub-leading orders, the coefficients of the effective interactions D^2 R^5 and D^4 R^5 are found to match those of D^4 R^4 and D^6 R^4, respectively, as required by non-linear supersymmetry. To the next order, a D^6 R^5 effective interaction arises, which is independent of the supersymmetric completion of D^8 R^4, and already arose at genus one. A novel identity on genus-two modular graph functions, which we prove, ensures that up to order D^6 R^5, the five-point amplitudes require only a single new modular graph function in addition to those needed for the four-point amplitude. We check that the supergravity limit of U(1)_R-violating amplitudes is free of UV divergences to this order, consistently with the known structure of divergences in Type IIB supergravity. Our results give strong consistency tests on the full five-point amplitude, and pave the way for understanding S-duality beyond the BPS-protected sector.

Two-loop superstring five-point amplitudes I: Construction via chiral splitting and pure spinors

The full two-loop amplitudes for five massless states in Type~II and Heterotic superstrings are constructed in terms of convergent integrals over the genus-two moduli space of compact Riemann surfaces and integrals of Green functions and Abelian differentials on the surface. The construction combines elements from the BRST cohomology of the pure spinor formulation and from chiral splitting with the help of loop momenta and homology invariance. The $alpha to 0$ limit of the resulting superstring amplitude is shown to be in perfect agreement with the previously known amplitude computed in Type~II supergravity. Investigations of the $alpha$ expansion of the Type~II amplitude and comparisons with predictions from S-duality are relegated to a first companion paper. A construction from first principles in the RNS formulation of the genus-two amplitude with five external NS states is relegated to a second companion paper.

One-loop open-string integrals from differential equations: all-order alpha-expansions at n points

We study generating functions of moduli-space integrals at genus one that are expected to form a basis for massless $n$-point one-loop amplitudes of open superstrings and open bosonic strings. These integrals are shown to satisfy the same type of linear and homogeneous first-order differential equation w.r.t. the modular parameter $tau$ which is known from the A-elliptic Knizhnik--Zamolodchikov--Bernard associator. The expressions for their $tau$-derivatives take a universal form for the integration cycles in planar and non-planar one-loop open-string amplitudes. These differential equations manifest the uniformly transcendental appearance of iterated integrals over holomorphic Eisenstein series in the low-energy expansion w.r.t. the inverse string tension $alpha$. In fact, we are led to matrix representations of certain derivations dual to Eisenstein series. Like this, also the $alpha$-expansion of non-planar integrals is manifestly expressible in terms of iterated Eisenstein integrals without referring to twisted elliptic multiple zeta values. The degeneration of the moduli-space integrals at $tau rightarrow iinfty$ is expressed in terms of their genus-zero analogues -- $(n{+}2)$-point Parke--Taylor integrals over disk boundaries. Our results yield a compact formula for $alpha$-expansions of $n$-point integrals over boundaries of cylinder- or Moebius-strip worldsheets, where any desired order is accessible from elementary operations.

All-order alpha-expansion of one-loop open-string integrals

We present a new method to evaluate the $alpha$-expansion of genus-one integrals over open-string punctures and unravel the structure of the elliptic multiple zeta values in its coefficients. This is done by obtaining a simple differential equation of Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov-Bernard-type satisfied by generating functions of such integrals, and solving it via Picard iteration. The initial condition involves the generating functions at the cusp $tauto iinfty$ and can be reduced to genus-zero integrals.

Towards the n-point one-loop superstring amplitude III: One-loop correlators and their double-copy structure

In this final part of a series of three papers, we will assemble supersymmetric expressions for one-loop correlators in pure-spinor superspace that are BRST invariant, local, and single valued. A key driving force in this construction is the generalization of a so far unnoticed property at tree level; the correlators have the symmetry structure akin to Lie polynomials. One-loop correlators up to seven points are presented in a variety of representations manifesting different subsets of their defining properties. These expressions are related via identities obeyed by the kinematic superfields and worldsheet functions spelled out in the first two parts of this series and reflecting a duality between the two kinds of ingredients. Interestingly, the expression for the eight-point correlator following from our method seems to capture correctly all the dependence on the worldsheet punctures but leaves undetermined the coefficient of the holomorphic Eisenstein series ${rm G}_4$. By virtue of chiral splitting, closed-string correlators follow from the double copy of the open-string results.

Double-Copy Structure of One-Loop Open-String Amplitudes

In this Letter, we provide evidence for a new double-copy structure in one-loop amplitudes of the open superstring. Their integrands with respect to the moduli space of genus-one surfaces are cast into a form where gauge-invariant kinematic factors and certain functions of the punctures -- so-called generalized elliptic integrands -- enter on completely symmetric footing. In particular, replacing the generalized elliptic integrands by a second copy of kinematic factors maps one-loop open-string correlators to gravitational matrix elements of the higher-curvature operator R^4.

Semi-abelian Z-theory: NLSM+phi^3 from the open string

We continue our investigation of Z-theory, the second double-copy component of open-string tree-level interactions besides super-Yang-Mills (sYM). We show that the amplitudes of the extended non-linear sigma model (NLSM) recently considered by Cachazo, Cha, and Mizera are reproduced by the leading alpha-order of Z-theory amplitudes in the semi-abelian case. The extension refers to a coupling of NLSM pions to bi-adjoint scalars, and the semi-abelian case involves to a partial symmetrization over one of the color orderings that characterize the Z-theory amplitudes. Alternatively, the partial symmetrization corresponds to a mixed interaction among abelian and non-abelian states in the underlying open-superstring amplitude. We simplify these permutation sums via monodromy relations which greatly increase the efficiency in extracting the alpha-expansion of these amplitudes. Their alpha-corrections encode higher-derivative interactions between NLSM pions and bi-colored scalars all of which obey the duality between color and kinematics. Through double-copy, these results can be used to generate the predictions of supersymmetric Dirac-Born-Infeld-Volkov-Akulov theory coupled with sYM as well as a complete tower of higher-order alpha-corrections.