Normal form of nilpotent vector field near the tip of the pure spinor cone

Pure spinor formalism implies that supergravity equations in space-time are equivalent to the requirement that the worldsheet sigma-model satisfies certain properties. Here we point out that one of these properties has a particularly transparent geometrical interpretation. Namely, there exists an odd nilpotent vector field on some singular supermanifold, naturally associated to space-time. Is it true that all supergravity fields are encoded in this vector field, as coefficients in its normal form, and the nilpotence is equivalent to the target space equations of motion? We show that this is approximately correct. The normal form is parametrized by some tensor fields, which satisfy hyperbolic equations. These equations are slightly weaker than the full supergravity equations.

AdS 5 × S5 supergravity vertex operators

In any type II superstring background, the supergravity vertex operators in the pure spinor formalism are described by a gauge superfield. In this paper, we obtain for the first time an explicit expression for this superfield in an AdS5 × S5 background. Previously, the vertex operators were only known close to the boundary of AdS5 or in the minus eight picture. Our strategy for the computation was to apply eight picture raising operators in the minus eight picture vertices. In the process, a huge number of terms are generated and we have developed numerical techniques to perform intermediary simplifications. Alternatively, the same numerical techniques can be used to compute the vertices directly in the zero picture by constructing a basis of invariants and fitting for the coefficients. One motivation for constructing the vertex operators is the computation of AdS5 × S5 string amplitudes.

Closed string disk amplitudes in the pure spinor formalism

We evaluate closed string disk amplitudes in the pure spinor formalism. We focus on low point functions (two- and one-point functions) but our analysis is also relevant for higher n-point functions. Amongst others we discuss issues arising due to the gauge fixing of the conformal Killing group of the disk and due to the zero mode prescription in the pure spinor formalism. As expected, in the end we find agreement with the known results from the RNS formalism.

Calculation of transverse momentum dependent distributions beyond the leading power

We compute the contribution of twist-2 and twist-3 parton distribution functions to the small-b expansion for transverse momentum dependent (TMD) distributions at all powers of b. The computation is done by the twist-decomposition method based on the spinor formalism for all eight quark TMD distributions. The newly computed terms are accompanied by the prefactor (M2b2)n and represent the target-mass corrections to the resummed cross-section. For the first time, a non-trivial expression for the pretzelosity distribution is derived.

Constructing massive on-shell contact terms

The purely on-shell approach to effective field theories requires the construction of independent contact terms. Employing the little-group-covariant massive-spinor formalism, we present the first systematic derivation of independent four-point contact terms involving massive scalars, spin-1/2 fermions, and vectors. Independent three-point amplitudes are also listed for massive particles up to spin-3. We make extensive use of the simple relations between massless and massive amplitudes in this formalism. Our general results are specialized to the (broken-phase) particle content of the electroweak sector of the standard model. The (anti)symmetrization among identical particles is then accounted for. This work opens the way for the on-shell computation of massive four-point amplitudes.

Geometrical framework for picture changing operators in the pure spinor formalism

It is well known in NSR string theory, that vertex operators can be constructed in various “pictures”. Recently this was discussed in the context of pure spinor formalism. NSR picture changing operators have an elegant super-geometrical interpretation. In this paper we provide a generalization of this super-geometrical construction, which is also applicable to the pure spinor formalism.

Curvature Spinors in Locally Inertial Frame and the Relations with Sedenion

In the 2-spinor formalism, the gravity can be dealt with curvature spinors with four spinor indices. Here we show a new effective method to express the components of curvature spinors in the rank-2 4 × 4 tensor representation for the gravity in a locally inertial frame. In the process we have developed a few manipulating techniques, through which the roles of each component of Riemann curvature tensor are revealed. We define a new algebra ‘sedon’, the structure of which is almost the same as sedenion except for the basis multiplication rule. Finally we also show that curvature spinors can be represented in the sedon form and observe the chiral structure in curvature spinors. A few applications of the sedon representation, which includes the quaternion form of differential Binanchi identity and hand-in-hand couplings of curvature spinors, are also presented.