Theoretical foundations and applications of the Loop-Tree Duality in Quantum Field Theories

TL;DR

This paper explores the Loop-Tree Duality (LTD) method in quantum field theory, extending its applicability beyond simple cases, analyzing singularity cancellations, and presenting a numerical implementation for one-loop scattering calculations.

Contribution

It advances LTD by addressing complex Feynman graphs with IBP relations, investigates singularity cancellations, and provides the first numerical LTD implementation for one-loop diagrams.

Findings

Extended LTD to complex Feynman graphs using IBP

Analyzed singularity cancellations among dual contributions

Developed a numerical program for one-loop scattering calculations

Abstract

The Loop-Tree Duality (LTD) is a novel perturbative method in QFT that establishes a relation between loop-level and tree-level scattering amplitudes. This is achieved by directly applying the Residue Theorem to the loop-energy-integration. The result is a sum over all possible single cuts of the Feynman diagram in consideration integrated over a modified phase space. These single-cut integrals, called Dual contributions, are in fact tree-level objects and thus give rise to the opportunity of bringing loop- and tree-contributions together, treating them simultaneously in a common Monte Carlo event generator. Initially introduced for one-loop scalar integrals, the applicability of the LTD has been expanded ever since. In this thesis, we show how to deal with Feynman graphs beyond simple poles by taking advantage of Integration By Parts (IBP) relations. Furthermore, we investigate the cancellation of singularities among Dual contributions as well as between real and virtual corrections. For the first time, a numerical implementation of the LTD was done in the form of a computer program that calculates one-loop scattering diagrams. We present details on the contour deformation employed alongside the results for scalar integrals up to the pentagon- and tensor integrals up to the hexagon-level.