We start by defining two-particle operators that appear in celestial CFT. We then show how to compute their OPE coefficients with the known single-particle operators at tree level from multiparticle factorization channels, focusing on the leading contribution involving the two-particle states. These factorization channels only give us single-particle exchanges. To extract the multiparticle exchanges, we look at the $$ \overline{\textrm{MHV}} $$ gluon amplitudes and show how non-factorization channels contribute to two-particle terms in the single-helicity sector. This is a first step towards systematically computing the full celestial OPE.

United States

Alfredo Guevara

Canada

Yangrui Hu

Sabrina Pasterski

Multiparticle contributions to the celestial OPE

A holographic CFT description of asymptotically flat spacetimes inherits vacuum degeneracies and IR divergences from its gravitational dual. We devise a Quantum Error Correcting (QEC) framework to encode both effects as correctable fluctuations on the CFT dual. The framework is physically motivated by embedding a chain of qudits in the so-called Klein spacetime and then taking a continuum 𝑁 → ∞ limit. At finite 𝑁 the qudit chain 1) enjoys a discrete version of celestial symmetries and 2) supports a Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) code. The limit results in hard states with quantized BMS hair in the celestial torus forming the logical subspace, robust under errors induced by soft radiation. Technically, the construction leverages the recently studied 𝑤 hierarchy of soft currents and its realization from a sigma model in twistor space.

Celestial Quantum Error Correction. Part II. From qudits to celestial CFT

We describe a method to extract an effective Lagrangian description for open bosonic strings, at zero transcendentality. The method relies on a particular formulation of its scattering amplitudes derived from color-kinematics duality. More precisely, starting from a (DF)2 + YM quantum field theory, we integrate out all the massive degrees of freedom to generate an expansion in the inverse string tension α′. We explicitly compute the Lagrangian terms through   <math> <mi>O</mi> </math>  $$ \mathcal{O} $$ (α′4), and target the sector of operators proportional to F 4 to all orders in α′.

Sweden

Lucia Garozzo

Effective interactions of the open bosonic string via field theory

We construct two-dimensional quantum states associated to four-dimensional linearized rotating self-dual black holes in (2, 2) signature Klein space. The states are comprised of global conformal primaries circulating on the celestial torus, the Kleinian analog of the celestial sphere. By introducing a generalized tower of Goldstone operators we identify the states as coherent exponentiations carrying an infinite tower of w1+∞  charges or soft hair. We relate our results to recent approaches to black hole scattering, including a connection to Wilson lines,   <math> <mi>S</mi> </math>  $$ \mathcal{S} $$ -matrix results, and celestial holography in curved backgrounds.

Erin Crawley

Elizabeth Himwich

Andrew Strominger

Self-dual black holes in celestial holography

We continue to investigate correspondences between, on the one hand, scattering amplitudes for massive higher-spin particles and gravitons in appropriate quantum-to-classical limits, and on the other hand, classical gravitational interactions of spinning black holes according to general relativity. We first construct an ansatz for a gravitational Compton amplitude, at tree level, constrained only by locality, crossing symmetry, unitarity and consistency with the linearized-Kerr 3-point amplitude, to all orders in the black hole’s spin. We then explore the extent to which a unique classical Compton amplitude can be identified by comparing with the results of the classical process of scattering long-wavelength gravitational waves off an exact Kerr black hole, determined by appropriate solutions of the Teukolsky equation. Up to fourth order in spin, we find complete agreement with a previously conjectured exponential form of the tree-level Compton amplitude. At higher orders, we extract tree-level contributions from the Teukolsky amplitude by an analytic continuation from a physical (a/GM &lt; 1) to a particle-like (a/GM &gt; 1) regime. Up to the sixth order in spin, we identify a unique conservative part of the amplitude which is insensitive both to the choice of boundary conditions at the black hole horizon and to branch choices in the analytic continuation. The remainder of the amplitude is determined modulo an overall sign from a branch choice, with the sign flipping under exchanging purely ingoing and purely outgoing boundary conditions at the horizon. Along the way, we make contact with novel applications of massive spinor-helicity variables pertaining to their relation to EFT operators and (spinning) partial amplitudes.

France

Yilber Bautista

Germany

Ireland

Chris Kavanagh

Justin Vines

Scattering in black hole backgrounds and higher-spin amplitudes. Part II

The scattering of massless waves of helicity   <math> <mo>∣</mo> <mi>h</mi> <mo>∣</mo> <mo>=</mo> <mn>0</mn> <mo>,</mo> <mfrac> <mn>1</mn> <mn>2</mn> </mfrac> <mo>,</mo> <mn>1</mn> </math>  $$ \mid h\mid =0,\frac{1}{2},1 $$  in Schwarzschild and Kerr backgrounds is revisited in the long-wavelength regime. Using a novel description of such backgrounds in terms of gravitating massive particles, we compute classical wave scattering in terms of 2 → 2 QFT amplitudes in flat space, to all orders in spin. The results are Newman-Penrose amplitudes which are in direct correspondence with solutions of the Regge-Wheeler/Teukolsky equation. By introducing a precise prescription for the point-particle limit, in Part I of this work we show how both agree for h = 0 at finite values of the scattering angle and arbitrary spin orientation.

Scattering in black hole backgrounds and higher-spin amplitudes. Part I

The analytic continuation of the general signature (1, 3) Lorentzian Kerr-Taub-NUT black holes to signature (2, 2) Kleinian black holes is studied. Their global structure is characterized by a toric Penrose diagram resembling their Lorentzian counterparts. Kleinian black holes are found to be self-dual when their mass and NUT charge are equal for any value of the Kerr rotation parameter a. Remarkably, it is shown that the rotation a can be eliminated by a large diffeomorphism; this result also holds in Euclidean signature. The continuation from Lorentzian to Kleinian signature is naturally induced by the analytic continuation of the S-matrix. Indeed, we show that the geometry of linearized black holes, including Kerr-Taub-NUT, is captured by (2, 2) three-point scattering amplitudes of a graviton and a massive spinning particle. This stands in sharp contrast to their Lorentzian counterparts for which the latter vanishes kinematically and enables a direct link to the S-matrix.

Noah Miller

Black holes in Klein space

We study the celestial description of the O(N) sigma model in the large N limit as introduced by Coleman, Jackiw and Politzer. Focusing on three dimensions, we analyze the implications of a UV complete, all-loop order 4-point amplitude of pions in terms of correlation functions defined on the celestial circle. We find these retain many key features from the previously studied tree-level case, such as their relation to Generalized Free Field theories and crossing-symmetry, but also incorporate new properties such as IR/UV softness and S-matrix metastable states. In particular, to understand unitarity, we propose a form of the optical theorem that controls the imaginary part of the correlator based solely on the presence of these resonances. We also explicitly analyze the conformal block expansions and factorization of four-point functions into three-point functions. We find that summing over resonances is key for these factorization properties to hold. We end with some topics for future study.

Diego García-Sepúlveda

Justin Kulp

United Kingdom

Jingxiang Wu

Notes on resonances and unitarity from celestial amplitudes

We explore various tree-level double copy constructions for amplitudes including massive particles with spin. By working in general dimensions, we use that particles with spins s ≤ 2 are fundamental to argue that the corresponding double copy relations partially follow from compactification of their massless counterparts. This massless origin fixes the coupling of gluons, dilatons and axions to matter in a characteristic way (for instance fixing the gyromagnetic ratio), whereas the graviton couples universally reflecting the equivalence principle. For spin-1 matter we conjecture all-order Lagrangians reproducing the interactions with up to two massive lines and we test them in a classical setup, where the massive lines represent spinning compact objects such as black holes. We also test the amplitudes via CHY formulae for both bosonic and fermionic integrands. At five points, we show that by applying generalized gauge transformations one can obtain a smooth transition from quantum to classical BCJ double copy relations for radiation, thereby providing a QFT derivation for the latter. As an application, we show how the theory arising in the classical double copy of Goldberger and Ridgway can be naturally identified with a certain compactification of   <math> <mi>N</mi> </math>  $$ \mathcal{N} $$  = 4 Supergravity.

Chile

On the double copy for spinning matter

We show that the Newman-Janis shift property of the exact Kerr solution can be interpreted in terms of a worldsheet effective action. This holds both in gravity, and for the single-copy   <math> <msqrt> <mtext>Kerr</mtext> </msqrt> </math>  $$ \sqrt{\mathrm{Kerr}} $$  solution in electrodynamics. At the level of equations of motion, we show that the Newman-Janis shift holds also for the leading interactions of the Kerr black hole. These leading interactions are conveniently described using chiral classical equations of motion with the help of the spinor-helicity method familiar from scattering amplitudes.