Detectors in weakly-coupled field theories

Simon Caron-Huot; Murat Koloğlu; Petr Kravchuk; David Meltzer; David Simmons-Duffin

doi:10.1007/JHEP04(2023)014

Detectors in weakly-coupled field theories

Simon Caron-Huot, Murat Koloğlu, Petr Kravchuk^*, David Meltzer, David Simmons-Duffin

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

23 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We initiate a study of asymptotic detector operators in weakly-coupled field theories. These operators describe measurements that can be performed at future null infinity in a collider experiment. In a conformal theory they can be identified with light-ray operators, and thus have a direct relation to the spectrum of the theory. After a general discussion of the underlying physical picture, we show how infrared divergences of general detector operators can be renormalized in perturbation theory, and how they give rise to detector anomalous dimensions. We discuss in detail how this renormalization can be performed at the intersections of the Regge trajectories where non-trivial mixing occurs, which is related to the poles in anomalous dimensions at special values of spin. Finally, we discuss novel horizontal trajectories in scalar theories and show how they contribute to correlation functions. Our calculations are done in the example of φ⁴ theory in d = 4 − ϵ dimensions, but the methods are applicable more broadly. At the Wilson-Fisher fixed point our results include an explicit expression for the Pomeron light-ray operator at two loops, as well as a prediction for the value of the Regge intercept at five loops.

Original language	English
Article number	14
Journal	Journal of High Energy Physics
Volume	2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP04(2023)014
Publication status	Published - 4 Apr 2023

Keywords

Conformal and W Symmetry
Field Theories in Higher Dimensions
Renormalization and Regularization
Scale and Conformal Symmetries

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10.1007/JHEP04(2023)014Licence: CC BY

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title = "Detectors in weakly-coupled field theories",

abstract = "We initiate a study of asymptotic detector operators in weakly-coupled field theories. These operators describe measurements that can be performed at future null infinity in a collider experiment. In a conformal theory they can be identified with light-ray operators, and thus have a direct relation to the spectrum of the theory. After a general discussion of the underlying physical picture, we show how infrared divergences of general detector operators can be renormalized in perturbation theory, and how they give rise to detector anomalous dimensions. We discuss in detail how this renormalization can be performed at the intersections of the Regge trajectories where non-trivial mixing occurs, which is related to the poles in anomalous dimensions at special values of spin. Finally, we discuss novel horizontal trajectories in scalar theories and show how they contribute to correlation functions. Our calculations are done in the example of φ4 theory in d = 4 − ϵ dimensions, but the methods are applicable more broadly. At the Wilson-Fisher fixed point our results include an explicit expression for the Pomeron light-ray operator at two loops, as well as a prediction for the value of the Regge intercept at five loops.",

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AU - Caron-Huot, Simon

AU - Koloğlu, Murat

AU - Kravchuk, Petr

AU - Meltzer, David

AU - Simmons-Duffin, David

PY - 2023/4/4

Y1 - 2023/4/4

N2 - We initiate a study of asymptotic detector operators in weakly-coupled field theories. These operators describe measurements that can be performed at future null infinity in a collider experiment. In a conformal theory they can be identified with light-ray operators, and thus have a direct relation to the spectrum of the theory. After a general discussion of the underlying physical picture, we show how infrared divergences of general detector operators can be renormalized in perturbation theory, and how they give rise to detector anomalous dimensions. We discuss in detail how this renormalization can be performed at the intersections of the Regge trajectories where non-trivial mixing occurs, which is related to the poles in anomalous dimensions at special values of spin. Finally, we discuss novel horizontal trajectories in scalar theories and show how they contribute to correlation functions. Our calculations are done in the example of φ4 theory in d = 4 − ϵ dimensions, but the methods are applicable more broadly. At the Wilson-Fisher fixed point our results include an explicit expression for the Pomeron light-ray operator at two loops, as well as a prediction for the value of the Regge intercept at five loops.

AB - We initiate a study of asymptotic detector operators in weakly-coupled field theories. These operators describe measurements that can be performed at future null infinity in a collider experiment. In a conformal theory they can be identified with light-ray operators, and thus have a direct relation to the spectrum of the theory. After a general discussion of the underlying physical picture, we show how infrared divergences of general detector operators can be renormalized in perturbation theory, and how they give rise to detector anomalous dimensions. We discuss in detail how this renormalization can be performed at the intersections of the Regge trajectories where non-trivial mixing occurs, which is related to the poles in anomalous dimensions at special values of spin. Finally, we discuss novel horizontal trajectories in scalar theories and show how they contribute to correlation functions. Our calculations are done in the example of φ4 theory in d = 4 − ϵ dimensions, but the methods are applicable more broadly. At the Wilson-Fisher fixed point our results include an explicit expression for the Pomeron light-ray operator at two loops, as well as a prediction for the value of the Regge intercept at five loops.

KW - Conformal and W Symmetry

KW - Field Theories in Higher Dimensions

KW - Renormalization and Regularization

KW - Scale and Conformal Symmetries

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DO - 10.1007/JHEP04(2023)014

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SN - 1126-6708

VL - 2023

JO - Journal of High Energy Physics

JF - Journal of High Energy Physics

M1 - 14

ER -

Detectors in weakly-coupled field theories

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Keywords

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