Composing Effective Prediction at Five Points

TL;DR

This paper extends the use of color-kinematics duality and double-copy constructions to five-point scattering amplitudes, enabling systematic encoding of higher-derivative corrections in gauge and gravity theories.

Contribution

It introduces a scalar building block combined with color structures to construct higher-derivative color factors for five-point amplitudes, advancing the understanding of higher-dimensional operator predictions.

Findings

Single scalar building block can generate higher-derivative color factors.

Double-copy method maps gauge theory corrections to gravity.

Clarifies five-point higher-dimensional operator predictions.

Abstract

Color-kinematics duality in the adjoint has proven key to the relationship between gauge and gravity theory scattering amplitude predictions. In recent work, we demonstrated that at four-point tree-level, a small number of color-dual EFT building blocks could encode all higher-derivative single-trace massless corrections to gauge and gravity theories compatible with adjoint double-copy. One critical aspect was the trivialization of building higher-derivative color-weights -- indeed, it is the mixing of kinematics with non-adjoint-type color-weights (like the permutation-invariant d^4) which permits description via adjoint double-copy. Here we find that such ideas clarify the predictions of local five-point higher-dimensional operators as well. We demonstrate how a single scalar building block can be combined with color structures to build higher-derivative color factors that generate, through double copy, the predictions of higher-derivative gauge-theory operators. These may then be suitably mapped, through another double-copy, to higher-derivative corrections in gravity.