Duality between Wilson Loops and Scattering Amplitudes

TL;DR

This paper discusses a duality in N=4 super Yang-Mills theory linking scattering amplitudes and Wilson loops, highlighting the role of conformal symmetry and its implications for understanding gauge theory dynamics.

Contribution

It summarizes the current understanding of the duality and derives anomalous conformal Ward identities, revealing new symmetry properties of scattering amplitudes.

Findings

Duality connects scattering amplitudes and Wilson loops in N=4 SYM.

Conformal symmetry of Wilson loops implies a new symmetry of scattering amplitudes.

Derived Ward identities predict symmetry constraints on amplitudes.

Abstract

We summarise the status of an intriguing new duality between planar maximally helicity violating scattering amplitudes and light-like Wilson loops in N=4 super Yang-Mills. In particular, we focus on the role played by (dual) conformal symmetry, which is made predictive by deriving anomalous conformal Ward identities for the Wilson loops. Assuming the duality, the conformal symmetry of the dual Wilson loops becomes an unexpected new symmetry of scattering amplitudes in N=4 SYM.