Relativity Seminar

Abstract: In this talk, I will discuss the proportionality between tree amplitudes and the ultraviolet divergences in their one-loop corrections in Yang-Mills and (N < 4) Super Yang-Mills theories in four-dimensions. From the point of view of local perturbative quantum field theory, i.e. Feynman diagrams, this proportionality is straightforward: ultraviolet divergences at loop-level are absorbed into coefficients of local operators/interaction vertices in the original tree-amplitude. Ultraviolet divergences in loop amplitudes are also calculable through on-shell methods. These methods ensure manifest gauge-invariance, even at loop-level (no ghosts), at the expense of manifest locality. From an on-shell perspective, the proportionality between the ultraviolet divergences the tree amplitudes is thus not guaranteed. I describe systematic structures which ensure proportionality, and their possible connections to other recent developments in the field.