High-Energy Scatterings in Infinite-Derivative Field Theory and Ghost-Free Gravity

TL;DR

This paper explores how infinite-derivative theories, inspired by ghost-free gravity, can eliminate external momentum divergences in scattering diagrams, leading to ultraviolet-convergent results.

Contribution

It demonstrates that infinite-derivative scalar models can remove external momentum divergences, unlike finite-order models, and applies this to a gravity-inspired toy model.

Findings

Infinite-derivative models achieve convergence of scattering diagrams at high momenta.

Finite-order models cannot eliminate external momentum divergences.

Dressing vertices with loop corrections is necessary for divergence elimination.

Abstract

In this paper, we will consider scattering diagrams in the context of infinite-derivative theories. First, we examine a finite-order higher-derivative scalar field theory and find that we cannot eliminate the external momentum divergences of scattering diagrams in the regime of large external momenta. Then, we employ an infinite-derivative scalar toy model and obtain that the external momentum dependence of scattering diagrams is convergent as the external momenta become very large. In order to eliminate the external momentum divergences, one has to dress the bare vertices of the scattering diagrams by considering renormalised propagator and vertex loop corrections to the bare vertices. Finally, we investigate scattering diagrams in the context of a scalar toy model which is inspired by a $\mathit{ghost-free}$ and $\mathit{singularity-free}$ infinite-derivative theory of gravity, where we conclude that infinite derivatives can eliminate the external momentum divergences of scattering diagrams and make the scattering diagrams convergent in the ultraviolet.