Gauge invariant double copy of Yang-Mills theory: the quartic theory

TL;DR

This paper constructs a gauge-invariant, off-shell double copy of Yang-Mills theory to gravity at quartic order using homotopy algebras, revealing new algebraic structures and applications in supergravity and double field theory.

Contribution

It introduces a novel algebraic framework based on homotopy algebras for the double copy construction, extending it to quartic order and providing explicit gauge-invariant formulations.

Findings

Explicit gauge-invariant double copy at quartic order

Re-derivation of 4-graviton scattering amplitude

Identification of a new algebraic structure related to Yang-Mills theory

Abstract

We give an explicit gauge invariant, off-shell and local double copy construction of gravity from Yang-Mills theory to quartic order. To this end we use the framework of homotopy algebras, and we identify a rich new algebraic structure associated to color-stripped Yang-Mills theory. This algebra, which is a generalization of a Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra, is the underlying structure necessary for double copy. We give a self-contained introduction into these algebras by illustrating them for Chern-Simons theory in three dimensions. We then construct N = 0 supergravity in the form of double field theory in terms of the algebraic Yang-Mills building blocks to quartic order in interactions. As applications of the same universal formula, we re-derive the 4-graviton scattering amplitude and compute a chiral form of the Courant algebroid gauge structure of double field theory.