Abstract
In this paper we study the Sudakov form factor in \( \mathcal{N} = {4} \) super Yang-Mills theory to the three-loop order. The latter is expressed in terms of planar and non-planar loop integrals. We show that it is possible to choose a representation in which each loop integral has uniform transcendentality. We verify analytically the expected exponentiation of the infrared divergences with the correct values of the three-loop cusp and collinear anomalous dimensions in dimensional regularisation. We find that the form factor in \( \mathcal{N} = {4} \) super Yang-Mills can be related to the leading transcendentality part of the quark and gluon form factors in QCD. We also study the ultraviolet properties of the form factor in D > 4 dimensions, and find unexpected cancellations, resulting in an improved ultraviolet behaviour.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
W.L. van Neerven, Infrared behavior of on-shell form-factors in a N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-mills field theory, Z. Phys. C 30 (1986) 595.
A. Brandhuber, B. Spence, G. Travaglini and G. Yang, Form factors in mathcal N = 4 super Yang-Mills and periodic Wilson loops, JHEP 01 (2011) 134 [arXiv:1011.1899] [INSPIRE].
A. Brandhuber, Ö. Gürdoğan, R. Mooney, G. Travaglini and G. Yang, Harmony of super form factors, JHEP 10 (2011) 046 [arXiv:1107.5067] [INSPIRE].
L.V. Bork, D.I. Kazakov and G.S. Vartanov, On form factors in N = 4 SYM, JHEP 02 (2011) 063 [arXiv:1011.2440] [INSPIRE].
L.V. Bork, D.I. Kazakov and G.S. Vartanov, On MHV form factors in superspace for N = 4 SYM theory, JHEP 10 (2011) 133 [arXiv:1107.5551] [INSPIRE].
L.F. Alday and J. Maldacena, Comments on gluon scattering amplitudes via AdS/CFT, JHEP 11 (2007) 068 [arXiv:0710.1060] [INSPIRE].
J. Maldacena and A. Zhiboedov, Form factors at strong coupling via a Y-system, JHEP 11 (2010) 104 [arXiv:1009.1139] [INSPIRE].
Z. Bern, L.J. Dixon and V.A. Smirnov, Iteration of planar amplitudes in maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory at three loops and beyond, Phys. Rev. D 72 (2005) 085001 [hep-th/0505205] [INSPIRE].
C. Anastasiou, L. Dixon, Z. Bern and D.A. Kosower, Planar Amplitudes in Maximally Supersymmetric Yang-Mills Theory, Phys. Rev. Lett. 91 (2003) 251602 [hep-th/0309040] [INSPIRE].
J.M. Drummond, J. Henn, G.P. Korchemsky and E. Sokatchev, On planar gluon amplitudes/Wilson loops duality, Nucl. Phys B 795 (2008) 52 [arXiv:0709.2368] [INSPIRE].
J.M. Drummond, J. Henn, G.P. Korchemsky and E. Sokatchev, Conformal Ward identities for Wilson loops and a test of the duality with gluon amplitudes, Nucl. Phys. B 826 (2010) 337 [arXiv:0712.1223] [INSPIRE].
J.M. Henn, S. Moch and S.G. Naculich, Form factors and scattering amplitudes in N = 4 SYM in dimensional and massive regularizations, JHEP 12 (2011) 024 [arXiv:1109.5057] [INSPIRE].
Z. Bern, M. Czakon, L.J. Dixon, D.A. Kosower and V.A. Smirnov, Four-loop planar amplitude and cusp anomalous dimension in maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory, Phys. Rev. D 75 (2007) 085010 [hep-th/0610248] [INSPIRE].
F. Cachazo, M. Spradlin and A. Volovich, Four-loop cusp anomalous dimension from obstructions, Phys. Rev. D 75 (2007) 105011 [hep-th/0612309] [INSPIRE].
J.M. Henn, S.G. Naculich, H.J. Schnitzer and M. Spradlin, More loops and legs in Higgs-regulated N = 4 SYM amplitudes, JHEP 08 (2010) 002 [arXiv:1004.5381] [INSPIRE].
N. Arkani-Hamed, J.L. Bourjaily, F. Cachazo and J. Trnka, Local integrals for planar scattering amplitudes, arXiv:1012.6032 [INSPIRE].
J.M. Drummond and J.M. Henn, Simple loop integrals and amplitudes in N = 4 SYM, JHEP 05 (2011) 105 [arXiv:1008.2965] [INSPIRE].
J.M. Drummond, J.M. Henn and J. Trnka, New differential equations for on-shell loop integrals, JHEP 04 (2011) 083 [arXiv:1010.3679] [INSPIRE].
L.J. Dixon, private communication.
J.B. Tausk, Non-planar massless two-loop Feynman diagram with four on-shell legs, Phys. Lett. B 469 (1999) 225 [hep-ph/9909506] [INSPIRE].
S.G. Naculich, H. Nastase and H.J. Schnitzer, Subleading-color contributions to gluon-gluon scattering in N = 4 SYM theory and relations to N = 8 supergravity, JHEP 11 (2008) 018 [arXiv:0809.0376] [INSPIRE].
S.G. Naculich, H. Nastase and H.J. Schnitzer, Two-loop graviton scattering relation and IR behavior in N = 8 supergravity, Nucl. Phys. B 805 (2008) 40 [arXiv:0805.2347] [INSPIRE].
A. Brandhuber, P. Heslop, A. Nasti, B. Spence and G. Travaglini, Four-point amplitudes in N = 8 supergravity and Wilson loops, Nucl. Phys. B 807 (2009) 290 [arXiv:0805.2763] [INSPIRE].
T. Gehrmann, G. Heinrich, T. Huber and C. Studerus, Master integrals for massless three-loop form factors: One-loop and two-loop insertions, Phys. Lett. B 640 (2006) 252 [hep-ph/0607185] [INSPIRE].
G. Heinrich, T. Huber and D. Maître, Master integrals for fermionic contributions to massless three-loop form factors, Phys. Lett. B 662 (2008) 344 [arXiv:0711.3590] [INSPIRE].
G. Heinrich, T. Huber, D.A. Kosower and V.A. Smirnov, Nine-propagator master integrals for massless three-loop form factors, Phys. Lett. B 678 (2009) 359 [arXiv:0902.3512] [INSPIRE].
P.A. Baikov, K.G. Chetyrkin, A.V. Smirnov, V.A. Smirnov and M. Steinhauser, Quark and Gluon Form Factors to Three Loops, Phys. Rev. Lett. 102 (2009) 212002 [arXiv:0902.3519] [INSPIRE].
R.N. Lee, A.V. Smirnov and V.A. Smirnov, Analytic results for massless three-loop form factors, JHEP 04 (2010) 020 [arXiv:1001.2887] [INSPIRE].
T. Huber, Master integrals for massless three-loop form factors, PoS(RADCOR2009)038 [arXiv:1001.3132] [INSPIRE].
T. Gehrmann, E.W.N. Glover, T. Huber, N. Ikizlerli and C. Studerus, Calculation of the quark and gluon form factors to three loops in QCD, JHEP 06 (2010) 094 [arXiv:1004.3653] [INSPIRE].
R.N. Lee, A.V. Smirnov and V.A. Smirnov, Dimensional recurrence relations: an easy way to evaluate higher orders of expansion in ∈, Nucl. Phys. Proc. Suppl. 205 (2010) 308 [arXiv:1005.0362] [INSPIRE].
R.N. Lee and V.A. Smirnov, Analytic ∈-expansion of three-loop on-shell master integrals up to four-loop transcendentality weight, JHEP 02 (2011) 102 [arXiv:1010.1334] [INSPIRE].
T. Gehrmann, E.W.N. Glover, T. Huber, N. Ikizlerli and C. Studerus, The quark and gluon form factors to three loops in QCD through to \( \mathcal{O}\left( {{ \in^2}} \right) \), JHEP 11 (2010) 102 [arXiv:1010.4478] [INSPIRE].
J.M. Drummond, J. Henn, V.A. Smirnov and E. Sokatchev, Magic identities for conformal four-point integrals, JHEP 01 (2007) 064 [hep-th/0607160] [INSPIRE].
N.I. Ussyukina and A.I. Davydychev, Two-loop three-point diagrams with irreducible numerators, Phys. Lett. B 348 (1995) 503 [hep-ph/9412356] [INSPIRE].
Z. Bern, J.J. Carrasco, L.J. Dixon, H. Johansson, D.A. Kosower and R. Roiban, Cancellations Beyond Finiteness in N = 8 Supergravity at Three Loops, Phys. Rev. Lett. 98 (2007) 161303 [hep-th/0702112] [INSPIRE].
K. Stelle, Supergravity: Finite after all?, Nature Phys. 3 (2007) 448.
Z. Bern, J.J.M. Carrasco, L.J. Dixon, H. Johansson and R. Roiban, Ultraviolet Behavior of N = 8 Supergravity at Four Loops, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103 (2009) 081301 [arXiv:0905.2326] [INSPIRE].
M.R. Douglas, On D = 5 super Yang-Mills theory and (2, 0) theory, JHEP 02 (2011) 011 [arXiv:1012.2880] [INSPIRE].
A.S. Galperin, E.A. Ivanov, V.I. Ogievetsky and E.S. Sokatchev, Harmonic superspace, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge U.K. (2001), pg. 306.
T. van Ritbergen, J.A.M. Vermaseren and S.A. Larin, The four-loop β-function in quantum chromodynamics, Phys. Lett. B 400 (1997) 379 [hep-ph/9701390] [INSPIRE].
T. Becher and M. Neubert, On the structure of infrared singularities of gauge-theory amplitudes, JHEP 06 (2009) 081 [arXiv:0903.1126] [INSPIRE].
J. Blümlein, D.J. Broadhurst and J.A.M. Vermaseren, The Multiple Zeta Value data mine, Comput. Phys. Commun. 181 (2010) 582 [arXiv:0907.2557] [INSPIRE].
F.V. Tkachov, A theorem on analytical calculability of 4-loop renormalization group functions, Phys. Lett. B 100 (1981) 65.
K.G. Chetyrkin and F.V. Tkachov, Integration by parts: The algorithm to calculate β-functions in 4 loops, Nucl. Phys. B 192 (1981) 159.
S. Laporta, High-Precision Calculation of Multiloop Feynman Integrals by Difference Equations, Int. J. Mod. Phys. A 15 (2000) 5087 [hep-ph/0102033] [INSPIRE].
C. Studerus, Reduze-Feynman integral reduction in C++, Comput. Phys. Commun. 181 (2010) 1293 [arXiv:0912.2546] [INSPIRE].
Z. Bern, L. Dixon, D.C. Dunbar and D.A. Kosower, One-loop n-point gauge theory amplitudes, unitarity and collinear limits, Nucl. Phys. B 425 (1994) 217 [hep-ph/9403226] [INSPIRE].
R. Britto, F. Cachazo and B. Feng, Generalized unitarity and one-loop amplitudes in N = 4 super-Yang-Mills, Nucl. Phys. B 725 (2005) 275 [hep-th/0412103] [INSPIRE].
J.J.M. Carrasco and H. Johansson, Generic multiloop methods and application to N = 4 super-Yang-Mills, J. Phys. A 44 (2011) 4004 [arXiv:1103.3298] [INSPIRE].
V.P. Nair, A current algebra for some gauge theory amplitudes, Phys. Lett. B 214 (1988) 215.
J.M. Drummond, J. Henn, G.P. Korchemsky and E. Sokatchev, Generalized unitarity for N = 4 super-amplitudes, arXiv:0808.0491 [INSPIRE].
Z. Bern, J.J.M. Carrasco, H. Ita, H. Johansson and R. Roiban, Structure of supersymmetric sums in multiloop unitarity cuts, Phys. Rev. D 80 (2009) 065029 [arXiv:0903.5348] [INSPIRE].
H. Elvang, D.Z. Freedman and M. Kiermaier, Recursion relations, generating functions and unitarity sums in Script N = 4 SYM theory, JHEP 04 (2009) 009 [arXiv:0808.1720] [INSPIRE].
M. Bianchi, H. Elvang and D.Z. Freedman, Generating tree amplitudes in N = 4 SYM and N = 8 SG, JHEP 09 (2008) 063 [arXiv:0805.0757] [INSPIRE].
Z. Bern, J.S. Rozowsky and B. Yan, Two-loop four-gluon amplitudes in N = 4 super-Yang-Mills, Phys. Lett. B 401 (1997) 273 [hep-ph/9702424] [INSPIRE].
A.V. Kotikov and L.N. Lipatov, DGLAP and BFKL evolution equations in the N = 4 supersymmetric gauge theory, hep-ph/0112346 [INSPIRE].
A.V. Kotikov, L.N. Lipatov, A.I. Onishchenko and V.N. Velizhanin, Three-loop universal anomalous dimension of the Wilson operators in N = 4 SUSY Yang-Mills model, Phys. Lett. B 595 (2004) 521 [hep-th/0404092] [INSPIRE].
A.V. Kotikov and L.N. Lipatov, On the highest transcendentality in N = 4 SUSY, Nucl. Phys. B 769 (2007) 217 [hep-th/0611204] [INSPIRE].
Z. Kunszt, A. Signer and Z. Trócsányi, One-loop helicity amplitudes for all 2 → 2 processes in QCD and N = 1 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory, Nucl. Phys. B 411 (1994) 397 [hep-ph/9305239] [INSPIRE].
L. Magnea and G.F. Sterman, Analytic continuation of the Sudakov form-factor in QCD, Phys. Rev. D 42 (1990) 4222.
I.A. Korchemskaya and G.P. Korchemsky, On lightlike Wilson loops, Phys. Lett. B 287 (1992) 169 [INSPIRE].
M.T. Grisaru and W. Siegel, Supergraphity. 2. Manifestly covariant rules and higher loop finiteness, Nucl. Phys. B 201 (1982) 292.
N. Marcus and A. Sagnotti, The ultraviolet behavior of N = 4 Yang-mills and the power counting of extended superspace, Nucl. Phys. B 256 (1985) 77.
P.S. Howe and K.S. Stelle, The ultraviolet properties of supersymmetric field theories, Int. J. Mod. Phys. A 4 (1989) 1871.
G. Bossard, P.S. Howe and K.S. Stelle, The ultra-violet question in maximally supersymmetric field theories, Gen. Rel. Grav. 41 (2009) 919 [arXiv:0901.4661] [INSPIRE].
Z. Bern, J.J.M. Carrasco, L.J. Dixon, H. Johansson and R. Roiban, Complete four-loop four-point amplitude in N = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory, Phys. Rev. D 82 (2010) 125040 [arXiv:1008.3327] [INSPIRE].
T. Huber, On a two-loop crossed six-line master integral with two massive lines, JHEP 03 (2009) 024 [arXiv:0901.2133] [INSPIRE].
N. Arkani-Hamed, J. Bourjaily, F. Cachazo, S. Caron-Huot and J. Trnka, The all-loop integrand for scattering amplitudes in planar N = 4 SYM, JHEP 01 (2011) 041 [arXiv:1008.2958] [INSPIRE].
T. Gehrmann and E. Remiddi, Two-loop master integrals for γ* → 3 jets: the planar topologies, Nucl. Phys. B 601 (2001) 248 [hep-ph/0008287] [INSPIRE].
T. Gehrmann and E. Remiddi, Two-loop master integrals for γ* → 3 jets: the non-planar topologies, Nucl. Phys. B 601 (2001) 287 [hep-ph/0101124] [INSPIRE].
L.W. Garland, T. Gehrmann, E.W.N. Glover, A. Koukoutsakis and E. Remiddi, The two-loop QCD matrix element for e + e − → 3 jets, Nucl. Phys. B 627 (2002) 107 [hep-ph/0112081] [INSPIRE].
L.W. Garland, T. Gehrmann, E.W.N. Glover, A. Koukoutsakis and E. Remiddi, Two-loop QCD helicity amplitudes for e + e − → 3 jets, Nucl. Phys. B 642 (2002) 227 [hep-ph/0206067] [INSPIRE].
T. Gehrmann, M. Jaquier, E.W.N. Glover and A. Koukoutsakis, Two-loop QCD corrections to the helicity amplitudes for H → 3 partons, JHEP 02 (2012) 056 [arXiv:1112.3554] [INSPIRE].
J.A.M. Vermaseren, Axodraw, Comput. Phys. Commun. 83 (1994) 45.
T. Gehrmann, T. Huber and D. Maître, Two-loop quark and gluon form factors in dimensional regularisation, Phys. Lett. B 622 (2005) 295 [hep-ph/0507061] [INSPIRE].
A.V. Smirnov and M.N. Tentyukov, Feynman Integral Evaluation by a Sector decomposiTion Approach (FIESTA), Comput. Phys. Commun. 180 (2009) 735 [arXiv:0807.4129] [INSPIRE].
A.V. Smirnov, V.A. Smirnov and M. Tentyukov, FIESTA 2: Parallelizeable multiloop numerical calculations, Comput. Phys. Commun. 182 (2011) 790 [arXiv:0912.0158] [INSPIRE].
Z. Bern and D.A. Kosower, Color decomposition of one loop amplitudes in gauge theories, Nucl. Phys. B 362 (1991) 389.
Z. Bern, A. DeFreitas and L. Dixon, two-loop helicity amplitudes for gluon-gluon scattering in QCD and supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory, JHEP 03 (2002) 018 [hep-ph/0201161] [INSPIRE].
S.G. Naculich, All-loop group-theory constraints for color-ordered SU(N) gauge-theory amplitudes, Phys. Lett. B 707 (2012) 191 [arXiv:1110.1859] [INSPIRE].
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
ArXiv ePrint: 1112.4524
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gehrmann, T., Henn, J.M. & Huber, T. The three-loop form factor in \( \mathcal{N} = {4} \) super Yang-Mills. J. High Energ. Phys. 2012, 101 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP03(2012)101
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP03(2012)101