Where Is String Theory in the Space of Scattering Amplitudes?

2021/08/18 by Andrea L. Guerrieri, João Penedones, Pedro Vieira · 1 voice · 7 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies #Quantum Chromodynamics and Particle Interactions

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.127.081601

openalex publication_date 2021/08/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

We use the S-matrix bootstrap to carve out the space of unitary, crossing symmetric and supersymmetric graviton scattering amplitudes in ten dimensions. We focus on the leading Wilson coefficient α controlling the leading correction to maximal supergravity. The negative region α<0 is excluded by a simple dual argument based on linearized unitarity (the desert). A whole semi-infinite region α≳0.14 is allowed by the primal bootstrap (the garden). A finite intermediate region is excluded by nonperturbative unitarity (the swamp). Remarkably, string theory seems to cover all (or at least almost all) the garden from very large positive α-at weak coupling-to the swamp boundary-at strong coupling.

Citations

• The EFT-hedron

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Discussions

• In this paper ( PDF ) the authors tried to use Wilson coefficients which encode the influence of the UV-theory into its low-energy EFTs (which would differ between different fundamental high energy th [stackexchange, 2 points]

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