Oct 2008 - Sept 2009

Higher Dimensional Spinor Helicity Methods

by Rutger Boels (Niels Bohr Institute)

Europe/London
OC218

OC218

Description
While there have been quantum leaps recently in our ability to calculate scattering amplitudes with massless legs in four dimensions in recent years, not nearly so much has been done in higher dimensions. Apart from theoretical interest, higher dimensional amplitudes feature promptly in four dimensional loop computations and are directly relevant for string theory. A major obstacle is that recent developments depend heavily on four dimensional spinor helicity methods. I will present a complete extension of these methods to all higher dimensions. Simple applications yield series of vanishing amplitudes in Yang-Mills and gravity theories and quite generic on-shell supersymmetry Ward identities.