English

Multi-Soft gluon limits and extended current algebras at null-infinity

High Energy Physics - Theory 2017-09-13 v2

Abstract

In this note we consider aspects of the current algebra interpretation of multi-soft limits of tree-level gluon scattering amplitudes in four dimensions. Building on the relation between a positive helicity gluon soft-limit and the Ward identity for a level-zero Kac-Moody current, we use the double-soft limit to define the Sugawara energy-momentum tensor and, by using the triple- and quadruple-soft limits, show that it satisfies the correct OPEs for a CFT. We study the resulting Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equations and show that they hold for positive helicity gluons in MHV amplitudes. Turning to the sub-leading soft-terms we define a one-parameter family of currents whose Ward identities correspond to the universal tree-level sub-leading soft-behaviour. We compute the algebra of these currents formed with the leading currents and amongst themselves. Finally, by parameterising the ambiguity in the double-soft limit for mixed helicities, we introduce a non-trivial OPE between the holomorphic and anti-holomorphic currents and study some of its implications.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1610.03841,
  title  = {Multi-Soft gluon limits and extended current algebras at null-infinity},
  author = {Tristan McLoughlin and Dhritiman Nandan},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1610.03841},
  year   = {2017}
}

Comments

24 pages, 1 figure

R2 v1 2026-06-22T16:19:07.584Z