Classification of all 3 particle S-matrices quadratic in photons or gravitons

We explicitly construct every kinematically allowed three particle graviton-graviton-$P$ and photon-photon-$P$ S-matrix in every dimension and for every choice of the little group representation of the massive particle $P$. We also explicitly construct the spacetime Lagrangian that generates each of these couplings. In the case of gravitons we demonstrate that this Lagrangian always involves (derivatives of) two factors of the Riemann tensor, and so is always of fourth or higher order in derivatives. This result verifies one of the assumptions made in the recent preprint cite{Chowdhury:2019kaq} while attempting to establish the rigidity of the Einstein tree level S-matrix within the space of local classical theories coupled to a collection of particles of bounded spin.

Classifying and constraining local four photon and four graviton S-matrices

We study the space of all kinematically allowed four photon and four graviton S-matrices, polynomial in scattering momenta. We demonstrate that this space is the permutation invariant sector of a module over the ring of polynomials of the Mandelstam invariants $s$, $t$ and $u$. We construct these modules for every value of the spacetime dimension $D$, and so explicitly count and parameterize the most general four photon and four graviton S-matrix at any given derivative order. We also explicitly list the local Lagrangians that give rise to these S-matrices. We then conjecture that the Regge growth of S-matrices in all physically acceptable classical theories is bounded by $s^2$ at fixed $t$. A four parameter subset of the polynomial photon S-matrices constructed above satisfies this Regge criterion. For gravitons, on the other hand, no polynomial addition to the Einstein S-matrix obeys this bound for $D leq 6$. For $D geq 7$ there is a single six derivative polynomial Lagrangian consistent with our conjectured Regge growth bound. Our conjecture thus implies that the Einstein four graviton S-matrix does not admit any physically acceptable polynomial modifications for $Dleq 6$. A preliminary analysis also suggests that every finite sum of pole exchange contributions to four graviton scattering also such violates our conjectured Regge growth bound, at least when $Dleq 6$, even when the exchanged particles have low spin.