Higher-Spin Interactions: Four-point functions and beyond

Massimo Taronna
Scuola Normale Superiore & INFN, Pisa
Based on: Master Thesis(2009)[hep-th/1005.3061](M.T. Advisor: A.Sagnotti) hep-th/1006.5242: A.Sagnotti and M.T. hep-th/1107.5843: M.T. hep-th/11--.---: E. Joung and M. T.

Prague, 24/09/2011
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What is String Theory?

It is a scheme based on the mechanical model of a vibrating relativistic string Although very natural it raises several questions: Background (in)dependence(?) .... Key ingredient for consistency: Infinite tower of HS excitations
Soft UV behavior, open-closed duality, planar duality, modular invariance, etc

The difficulty

The mechanical model hides the geometry

Very general fact whenever an S-matrix theory is considered! Global symmetries on the asymptotic (boundary) states are dual to bulk Geometry String Theory is a consistent Higher-Spin Theory!
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Plan
String HS cubic couplings Noether procedure
Limiting couplings Higher-Spin Noether Currents A toy-model S-matrix amplitudes or Lagrangians? Colored spin-2 or gravity? Lagrangian non-localities and non-local Geometry (A)dS by radial reduction!

HS Four-point functions and corresponding couplings

Outlook
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(Open) Bosonic-String S-matrix

Chan-Paton factors

Gauge fixed version of the Polyakov path integral Z open Sj1 jn = dy4 dyn jy12 y13 y23 j
Rn3

y y y h Vj1 (^1 )Vj2 (^2 )Vj3 (^3 ) Vjn (yn ) iT r(a1 an ) + (1 $ 2)

yij = yi yj

Vertex operators associated to asymptotic states via the state-operator isomorphism

L1 ji = 0 L2 ji = 0

(L0 1) ji = 0

Fierz-Pauli equations for massive fields!

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Generating Functions
For external states of the first Regge trajectory of the open bosonic string
X 1 1 i (p i ; i ) = i 1 n i 1 : : : i n = i + i i + i 1 i 2 1 2 + : : : n! 2 n

Convenient simplification:
0 An = [ 1 ( 1 ) : : : n ( n )] ? 1:::n Zn ( i )
0 (1 ) ?1 (1 )

Commuting variables

= exp
Z

One gets:
Z

@ @ 0 @ 1 @ 1

Unphysical dependence on the unintegrated yi s

dy4 : : : dyn exp 4

0 ( 1 )( 1 ) =0

Generating Function

= + +

1 1 2 1 2 + : : : 2
3

1 2

n X i6=j

0 p i p j ln jyij j

p i p j 1 i j 5 2a0 + 2 yij 2 yij

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Three-point Amplitudes
Eliminate the unphysical dependence imposing the Virasoro constraints at the level of the generating function Z
2 p 1 =

s1 1 0

2 p2 =

s2 1 0

p2 = 3

s3 1 0

pi i = 0

i i = 0

As in any S-matrix theory one recover on-shell results (Geometry is hidden)

Zphys exp (r 0 2 1 p 23 y23 y12 y13 + 2 p 31 y13 y12 y23 + 3 p 12 y12 y13 y23 + ( 1 2 + 1 3 + 2 3 ) )

On-shell Couplings: Star product with generating functions of fields

A = 1 p 1; @ @ r 0 2 p 31 ! 2 p 2; + @ @ r 0 2 p 23 ! 3 p 3; r 0 ! p 12 2

=0

Master Thesis(2009)[hep-th/1005.3061]

Similar results for four-point amplitudes (also Superstring and Mixed-symmetry fields in progress) 6

0-0-s:
A00s

Examples
The complex scalar
= (x) (x) + i

r !s 0 = 1 (p 1 ) 2 (p 2 ) 3 (p 3 ) ps 12 2

Induced by a conserved current:

r 0 2 ! xi r 0 2

J (x; ) = x i

(Berends, Burgers and Van Dam, 1986; Bekaert, Joung, Mourad, 2009)

1-1-s:
A s11 =

i 0 h (x)@ (x) (x)@ (x) + : : : 2

HS currents

0 2 0 2 0 2

!s2 !s

s2 s(s 1) A1 A2 p 12

s1 s A 1 A 2 p 12 + sA 1 p 23 A2 p 12 + sA 2 p 31 A1 p s1 12 s A 1 p 23 A 2 p 31 p 12

!s+2

The amplitudes can contain extra stuff that drops out in the massless limit where genuine Noether interactions ought to be recovered! Similar to a scaling limit This coupling too is induced by a conserved current!
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HS cubic couplings
A gauge invariant pattern is recovered!
hep-th/1006.5242: A.Sagnotti and M.T.

The result is:

Coupling function: completely arbitrary in Field Theory (?)

A = 1 (p 1 ; 1 ) 2 (p 2 ; 2 ) 3 (p 3 ; 3 ) (r ) i 0h ? 123 exp 1 p 23 + 2 p 31 + 3 p 12 + 1 2 3 p 12 + 2 3 1 p 23 + 3 1 2 p 31 2

Gauge invariant up to the linearized massless Eoms. Off-shell completion uniquely fixed up to partial integrations and field redefinitions. Non-abelian deformation of gauge symmetry! G=
+

D. Gross; E.S. Fradkin; Does string theory results from the spontaneous breaking of HS gauge symmetry?

Lego bricks of any scattering amplitude!

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Cubic vertices
s1-s2-s3 couplings

s1 s2 s3

p ij = p i p j

V3 @ k1 s1 @ k2 s2 @ k3 s3
Number of derivatives
V 3 (G) 0 1 2 3

S1+S2+S3 S1+S2+S3-2
...

A 1 p 23 A 2 p31 A 3 p 12
A 1 A 2 A 3 p 12 + cyclic
G p @1 @2 @3

V 3 (G) 1 1 2 3

...
V 3 (G) s 3 1 2 3

S1+S2-S3

Minimum number of derivatives

No minimal coupling of HS with gravity, but multipolar couplings are possible! Generalizes Weinberg-Witten Theorem

Noether Procedure
Perturbative approach to Geometry (non-linear gauge symmetry)
Free part:

L = L

(2)

+L

(3)

+L

(4)

+ :::

= (0) + (1) + (2) + : : :

Fully non-linear deformation that sums up to what we call Geometry

Usual linearized gauge transformations:

(0) = @

Finding a solution order by order!

L
(2)

Non-homogeneous contributions!

(1) L (2) + (0) L (3) = 0

(2) L (2) + (1) L (3) + (0) L (4) = 0

(3) L (2) + (2) L (3) + (1) L (4) + (0) L (5) = 0

Free differential algebras over a nilpotent derivation Q capture exactly this structure (CSFT) Increasingly complicated as soon as higher orders are considered what is the logic behind it?
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A toy model: Scalar Yang-Mills

We already know the answer!
pA = 0 1 a 2 a a 2 a (2) p L = A p A 2

1 2 2 Tr A p A p 2 color ordering: manifest cyclicity! A = A T a

The cubic coupling is the solution of simple linear homogeneous differential equations

1 1 a 2 L = F (D a )2 + : : : 2 4
Higher-order corrections

(1) L (2) + (0) L (3) = 0 p @A

p i @ Ai L (3) (A1 ; A2 ; A3 ) 0
1

Convenient simplification: the solution is a function of simple building blocks (0;1) (0;2) (0;3) (1) L (3) = a G 123 ; G 123 ; G 123 ; G 123
G123
(0;1)

= A 1 p 23 2 3 G123 = A 2 p 31 3 1 G123 = A 3 p 12 1 2 (1) G123 = A 1 A 2 A 3 p 12 + A 2 A 3 A 1 p 23 + A 3 A 1 A 2 p 31 11

(0;2)

(0;1)

A toy model: Scalar Yang-Mills

(1)

(2)

(0)

(3)

= 0

(1) A

@ A (0) (3) = @A L 2 p

(1)

@ (0) (3) = @ L 2 p

(2) L (2) + (1) L (3) + (0) L (4) = 0

In general: not easy to find a solution but there is a clear logic!

p i @Ai L (4) (A 1 ; : : :) (1) L (3)

Starting from the quartic order the differential equation is non-homogeneous

p i @Ai Lhomo (A 1 ; : : :) 0

(4)

(4) (4) Split it into non-local contributions L (4) = Lpart + Lhomo

The particular solution to the nonhomogeneous equation is always given by minus the current exchange contribution and is entirely specified by the lower-point couplings!

The whole Noether procedure is reduced to linear homogeneous differential equations

hep-th/1107.5843: M.T.

p i @Ai Lpart (A 1 ; : : :) (1) L (3)

(4)

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A toy model: Scalar Yang-Mills

(4) Lpart

1 s

1 u

Color-ordering contribution: only two channels contribute

Lhomo = +

(4)

1 s

1 u

We can characterize any contact Lagrangian quartic coupling as the counterterm compensating the violation of the linearized gauge invariance of the current exchange part hep-th/1107.5843: M.T.
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A toy model: Scalar Yang-Mills

Is the solution obtained at the cubic level

(0) 4

1 s

1 u

Generating function: formal sum of all scattering amplitudes with various external states

2 A2 p 4 + A1 p 4 + A3 p 4 2 A1 A3 A2 p 4 + A1 A2 A3 p 4 + A2 A3 A1 p 4
Two gauge bosons two scalars Four gauge bosons

The procedure stops for YM: we recover the full 4-coupling in color-ordered form!

= 2 A1 A3 A2 A4 A1 A4 A2 A3 A1 A2 A3 A4 A 2 A 3 1 4 A 3 A 4 1 2 A 4 A 1 2 3

+ 2 (A1 A3 2 4 + A2 A4 1 3 ) A1 A2 3 4
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S-matrix amplitudes or Lagrangians?

All the physical information encoded within the solution of homogeneous equations!
p i @Ai L (4) (A 1 ; : : :) 0

The Lagrangian coupling can be extracted subtracting the current exchange part two faces of the same medal!

With the maximal transverse gauge-fixing coincides with the S-matrix amplitude

Gauge boson generating function: 1 1 (4) G1234 (p i ; A i ) = G12a ? a Ga34 G41a ? a Ga23 + V1234 u s
Splits into 3 contributions + + respectively linear, quadratic and quartic in A = 1 + A 1 p 23 + A 2 p 31 + A 3 p 12 + A 1 A 2 A 3 p 12 + A 2 A 3 A 1 p 23 + A 3 A 1 A 2 p 31
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G123

Generating functions are a convenient language to express these results

Symbol Calculus
Convenient simplification: YM:
G123 (p i ; A i ) =
G1234 (p i ; A i ) =
0 (1 ) ?1 (1 )

A !

Commuting auxiliary variables

= exp

i=1 4 Y

3 Y

[A i (p i ) i + i (p i )] ?1234 G123 (p i ; i )
[A i (p i ) i + i (p i )] ?1234 G1234 (p i ; i )
0 ( 1 )( 1 ) =0

i=1

@ @ 0 @ 1 @ 1

Weyl-Wigner calculus!

= + +

1 1 2 1 2 + : : : 2
Generating Function

Straightforward to generalize to HS (most general QFT)

0 An = [ 1 ( 1 ) : : : n ( n )] ? 1:::n Zn ( i )

X 1 1 i (p i ; i ) = i 1 n i 1 : : : i n = i + i i + i 1 i 2 1 2 + : : : n! 2 n
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HS four-point functions
ST suggests how to provide an answer to all orders: G123=
+

YM: Lego bricks of any scattering amplitude!

Simpler since amplitude and couplings coincides at the cubic level

Something analog happens at the quartic order but not at the level of the couplings!
p i @i A (4) ( 1 ; 2 ; 3 ; 4 ) 0
A (4) (i ) = 1 exp su
u
hep-th/1107.5843: M.T.

Noether procedure indeed is solved by any generating function satisfying: (3) (0;1) (0;2) (0;3) (1) L = a G ;G ;G ;G p i @ i L (3) (1 ; 2 ; 3 ) 0

+ su

Gen. function modulo arbitrary functions of Mandelstam variables!

su G1234 (p i ; i )

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Colored spin-2 or Gravity?

Four spin-2 case: two different options!
Arbitrary function with no poles left free at this stage

At the fourth order two different color orderings are independent! 2

Planar! (Open-string like): A1234=

a(s; t; u) su
u

su

Non-planar (closed-string like):

a(s; t; u) stu

A=

+ s

+ su

+s

+ st

+ cyclic

Only pure YM contributes!

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Colored spin-2 or Gravity?

Let us expand the result looking at the current exchange part! 2 2 A1234=
a(t) ~ su
u

a(t) ~ su

+ Local terms

2
a(t) ~ A= s

+ Local terms + cyclic channels

Can we read the exchanged particles?

t + 3 The second amplitude is the Gravitational one

t + 2

but the first one is not! Massless spin-2 not necessarily Gravity in HS theories (mixing?) But nonlocalities are needed on the Lagrangian side (see Vasilievs system) 19

Why non-localities?
From the S-matrix perspective everything is standard but if we extract the Lagrangian coupling explicit non-localities arise! Crucial observation (as in the YM case):
s1 s4

s1

s4

The Noether procedure requires the full current exchange!

V4 =
s2

s3

s2

s3

Non local 4-p coupling If the first term does not factorize on all available exchanges! Only possible way out to bypass Weinberg argument! NON-LOCAL Geometry!

but this kind of structure forces infinitely many spins propagating! 1 smin = (s1 + s2 + s3 + s4 ) 1 (2) 2

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Off-shell HS Couplings
Strategy: Find counter terms proportional to traces and divergences ensuring gauge invariance up to full free Lagrangian Eoms
A exp (r 0 G123 2 )2 0 41 + H12 H13 2 3 r !3 0 H21 H32 H13 + Cyclic5 + 2 ? 123 1 (p 1 ; 1 ) 2 (p 2 ; 2 ) 3 (p 3 ; 3 )

Hij = (i j + 1) iDj p j i Aj

Generalized de Donder operator

(0) (D ? ) = p 2

A-operator (~ trace, )
(0) (A ? ) = p @
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The physical content is totally encoded into G!

The same procedure works also at higher orders! Nice free differential algebra behind

(A)dS cubic vertices

Remarkably from the flat space result one can extract all (A)dS vertices Trick: ambient space formulation General isomorphism between ambient space fields and (A)dS fields
X @ (X; ) = 0
(X @X h ) (X; ) = 0 Z p X2 L dd+1 X One can write (A)dS Lagrangians using the measure

(X; ) = @X E(X; ) (A)dS gauge invariance becomes very simple Cubic (A)dS HS couplings coincides with the flat ones modulo a fixed boundary term! (to appear: E. Joung and M.T.) (A)dS at = G123 + @X (1 1 + 2 2 + 3 3 + : : :) G123

Similar logic to the massless limit of the ST vertex! The lower derivative tail disappears whenever goes to zero while the G operator is disentangled!

This kind of approach can shed some new light on Vasiliev s system!

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 All three-point couplings (abelian and non-abelian!) Starting from ST all reference to the mechanical model completely eliminated Four-point functions by Noether procedure The maximally gauge fixed theory contain so far all the physical information Behind ST there are key field theory properties! Systematics of (A)dS cubic couplings BEHIND THE CORNER:

Outlook

Classifying the consistent coupling functions

For the near future: Full systematics of HS theories (work in progress) Similar results on (A)dS by radial reduction Loop computations can shed light on mass-generation! Non-local HS Geometry!
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