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Title: A periodic table of effective field theories

Journal Article · · Journal of High Energy Physics (Online)
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [1];  [3]
  1. California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)
  2. Charles Univ., Prague (Czech Republic)
  3. Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)

We systematically explore the space of scalar effective field theories (EFTs) consistent with a Lorentz invariant and local S-matrix. To do so we define an EFT classification based on four parameters characterizing 1) the number of derivatives per interaction, 2) the soft properties of amplitudes, 3) the leading valency of the interactions, and 4) the spacetime dimension. Carving out the allowed space of EFTs, we prove that exceptional EFTs like the non-linear sigma model, Dirac-Born-Infeld theory, and the special Galileon lie precisely on the boundary of allowed theory space. Using on-shell momentum shifts and recursion relations, we prove that EFTs with arbitrarily soft behavior are forbidden and EFTs with leading valency much greater than the spacetime dimension cannot have enhanced soft behavior. We then enumerate all single scalar EFTs in d < 6 and verify that they correspond to known theories in the literature. Finally, our results suggest that the exceptional theories are the natural EFT analogs of gauge theory and gravity because they are one-parameter theories whose interactions are strictly dictated by properties of the S-matrix.

Research Organization:
California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0010255
OSTI ID:
1356089
Journal Information:
Journal of High Energy Physics (Online), Vol. 2017, Issue 2; ISSN 1029-8479
Publisher:
Springer BerlinCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 115 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (24)

Testing subleading multiple soft graviton theorem for CHY prescription journal January 2018
Subleading soft theorem for arbitrary number of external soft photons and gravitons journal January 2019
Internal supersymmetry and small-field Goldstini journal May 2018
Leading soft theorem for multiple gravitini journal June 2019
Sub-subleading soft graviton theorem in generic theories of quantum gravity journal October 2017
Logarithmic terms in the soft expansion in four dimensions journal October 2018
Subleading soft theorem for multiple soft gravitons journal December 2017
Taming higher-derivative interactions and bootstrapping gravity with soft theorems journal October 2019
Symmetric superfluids text January 2019
Symmetric superfluids text January 2019
Uniqueness from gauge invariance and the Adler zero text January 2016
Massive Galileon Positivity Bounds text January 2017
Sub-subleading Soft Graviton Theorem in Generic Theories of Quantum Gravity text January 2017
Operator bases, $S$-matrices, and their partition functions text January 2017
Pions as Gluons in Higher Dimensions text January 2017
Testing Subleading Multiple Soft Graviton Theorem for CHY Prescription text January 2017
The Infrared Structure of Nambu-Goldstone Bosons text January 2018
Soft Bootstrap and Supersymmetry text January 2018
Subleading Soft Theorem for arbitrary number of external soft photons and gravitons preprint January 2018
The order $p^8$ mesonic chiral Lagrangian text January 2018
The Infrared Structure of Exceptional Scalar Theories text January 2018
Taming higher-derivative interactions and bootstrapping gravity with soft theorems text January 2018
Soft Bootstrap and Effective Field Theories text January 2019
UV considerations on scattering amplitudes in a web of theories text January 2019

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