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Journal of physics / A 55(44), 443001 (2022). doi:10.1088/1751-8121/ac8380, This is an introduction to, and invitation to read, a series of review articles on scattering amplitudes in gauge theory, gravity, and superstring theory. Our aim is to provide an overview of the field, from basic aspects to a selection of current (2022) research and developments., Published by IOP Publ., Bristol

Various features of the even order poles appearing in the S-matrices of simply-laced affine Toda field theories are analysed in some detail. In particular, the coefficients of first- and second-order singularities appearing in the Laurent expansion of the S-matrix around a general $2N^{\rm th}$ order pole are derived in a universal way using perturbation theory at one loop. We show how to cut loop diagrams contributing to the pole into particular products of tree-level graphs that depend on the on-shell geometry of the loop; in this way, we recover the coefficients of the Laurent expansion around the pole exploiting tree-level integrability properties of the theory. The analysis is independent of the particular simply-laced theory considered, and all the results agree with those obtained in the conjectured bootstrapped S-matrices of the ADE series of theories., Comment: 28 pages, 9 figures

We investigate the perturbative integrability of massive (1+1)-dimensional bosonic quantum field theories, focusing on the conditions for them to have a purely elastic S-matrix, with no particle production and diagonal scattering, at tree level. For theories satisfying what we call `simply-laced scattering conditions', by which we mean that poles in inelastic $2$ to $2$ processes cancel in pairs, and poles in allowed processes are only due to one on-shell propagating particle at a time, the requirement that all inelastic amplitudes must vanish is shown to imply the so-called area rule, connecting the $3$-point couplings $C^{(3)}_{abc}$ to the masses $m_a$, $m_b$, $m_c$ of the coupled particles in a universal way. We prove that the constraints we find are universally satisfied by all affine Toda theories, connecting pole cancellations in amplitudes to properties of the underlying root systems, and develop a number of tools that we expect will be relevant for the study of loop amplitudes., Comment: 68 pages, 18 figures

We study the decay of large amplitude, almost periodic breather-like states in a deformed sine-Gordon model in one spatial dimension. We discover that these objects decay in a staggered fashion via a series of transitions, during which higher harmonics are released as short, staccato bursts of radiation. Further, we argue that this phenomenon is not restricted to one particular model, and that similar mechanisms of radiative decay of long-lived oscillating states can be observed for a wide class of physical systems, including the $\phi^6$ model., Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, 4 audio-video files, minor changes

This review describes a link between Lax operators, embedded surfaces and Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz equations for integrable quantum field theories. This surprising connection between classical and quantum models is undoubtedly one of the most striking discoveries that emerged from the off-critical generalisation of the ODE/IM correspondence, which initially involved only conformal invariant quantum field theories. We will mainly focus of the KdV and sinh-Gordon models. However, various aspects of other interesting systems, such as affine Toda field theories and non-linear sigma models, will be mentioned. We also discuss the implications of these ideas in the AdS/CFT context, involving minimal surfaces and Wilson loops. This work is a follow-up of the ODE/IM review published more than ten years ago by JPA, before the discovery of its off-critical generalisation and the corresponding geometrical interpretation. (Partially based on lectures given at the Young Researchers Integrability School 2017, in Dublin.), Comment: Partially based on lectures given at the Young Researchers Integrability School 2017,in Dublin. 62 pages, 8 figures. Minor amendments. Version published in J. Phys A "Special Issue on Recent Advances in AdS/CFT Integrability"

Journal of physics / A 53(45), 453002 (2020). doi:10.1088/1751-8121/abb0fe, A review of Boundary and defect conformal field theory: open problems and applications, following a workshop held at Chicheley Hall, Buckinghamshire, UK, 7���8 Sept. 2017. We attempt to provide a broad, bird���s-eye view of the latest progress in boundary and defect conformal field theory in various sub-fields of theoretical physics, including the renormalization group, integrability, conformal bootstrap, topological field theory, supersymmetry, holographic duality, and more. We also discuss open questions and promising research directions in each of these sub-fields, and combinations thereof., Published by IOP Publ., Bristol

We study the massless flows described by the staircase model introduced by Al.B. Zamolodchikov through the analytic continuation of the sinh-Gordon S-matrix, focusing on the renormalisation group flow from the tricritical to the critical Ising model. We show that the properly defined roaming limits of certain sinh-Gordon form factors are identical to the form factors of the order and disorder operators for the massless flow. As a by-product, we also construct form factors for a semi-local field in the sinh-Gordon model, which can be associated with the twist field in the ultraviolet limiting free massless bosonic theory., 23 pages, Latex2e file. v2: published version, clarifications added, typos corrected

Equations are found for exact g-functions corresponding to integrable bulk and boundary flows between successive unitary c, 27 pages, 12 figures

One of the simplest examples of a \( \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} \)-symmetric quantum system is the scaling Yang-Lee model, a quantum field theory with cubic interaction and purely imaginary coupling. We give a historical review of some facts about this model in d ≤ 2 dimensions, from its original definition in connection with phase transitions in the Ising model and its relevance to polymer physics, to the role it has played in studies of integrable quantum field theory and \( \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} \)-symmetric quantum mechanics. We also discuss some more general results on \( \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} \)-symmetric quantum mechanics and the ODE/IM correspondence, and mention applications to magnetic systems and cold atom physics.

We study boundary scattering in the $\phi^4$ model on a half-line with a one-parameter family of Neumann-type boundary conditions. A rich variety of phenomena is observed, which extends previously-studied behaviour on the full line to include regimes of near-elastic scattering, the restoration of a missing scattering window, and the creation of a kink or oscillon through the collision-induced decay of a metastable boundary state. We also study the decay of the vibrational boundary mode, and explore different scenarios for its relaxation and for the creation of kinks., Comment: pdflatex, 24 pages + 17 figures + 13 movies v2: significant extra material and new figures. Additional movies included

The finite-size behaviours of the homogeneous sine-Gordon models are analysed in detail, using the thermodynamic Bethe ansatz. Crossovers are observed which allow scales associated with both stable and unstable quantum particles to be picked up. By introducing the concept of shielding, we show that these match precisely with the mass scales found classically, supporting the idea that the full set of unstable particle states persists even far from the semiclassical regime. General rules for the effective TBA systems governing individual crossovers are given, and we also comment on the Lagrangian treatment of the theories, novel issues which arise in the form-factor approach for theories with unstable particles, and the role of heterotic cosets in the staircase flows exhibited by the HSG models., Comment: LaTeX, 55 pages, many figures

We show that SU(n) Bethe Ansatz equations with arbitrary `twist' parameters are hidden inside certain nth order ordinary differential equations, and discuss various consequences of this fact., 19 pages and no figures. LaTex2e, uses amssymb and cite.V2: Note added, minor typos corrected

We suggest an approach to the problem of finding integral equations for the excited states of an integrable model, starting from the Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz equations for its ground state. The idea relies on analytic continuation through complex values of the coupling constant, and an analysis of the monodromies that the equations and their solutions undergo. For the scaling Lee-Yang model, we find equations in this way for the one- and two- particle states in the spin-zero sector, and suggest various generalisations. Numerical results show excellent agreement with the truncated conformal space approach, and we also treat some of the ultraviolet and infrared asymptotics analytically., 25 pages, latex, 6 ps files, uses epsf.tex. Typos corrected

Boundary conditions compatible with classical integrability are studied both directly, using an approach based on the explicit construction of conserved quantities, and indirectly by first developing a generalisation of the Lax pair idea. The latter approach is closer to the spirit of earlier work by Sklyanin and yields a complete set of conjectures for permissible boundary conditions for any affine Toda field theory., Comment: 36 pages, harvmac

We explore boundary scattering in the sine-Gordon model with a non-integrable family of Robin boundary conditions. The soliton content of the field after collision is analysed using a numerical implementation of the direct scattering problem associated with the inverse scattering method. We find that an antikink may be reflected into various combinations of an antikink, a kink, and one or more breathers, depending on the values of the initial antikink velocity and a parameter associated with the boundary condition. In addition we observe regions with an intricate resonance structure arising from the creation of an intermediate breather whose recollision with the boundary is highly dependent on the breather phase., v3: typos fixed in Journal of Physics A, Volume 49, Number 16, 2016

Systems of integral equations are proposed which generalise those previously encountered in connection with the so-called staircase models. Under the assumption that these equations describe the finite-size effects of relativistic field theories via the Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz, analytical and numerical evidence is given for the existence of a variety of new roaming renormalisation group trajectories. For each positive integer $k$ and $s=0,\dots, k-1$, there is a one-parameter family of trajectories, passing close by the coset conformal field theories $G^{(k)}\times G^{(nk+s)}/G^{((n+1)k+s)}$ before finally flowing to a massive theory for $s=0$, or to another coset model for $s \neq 0$., Comment: 19 pages (and two figures), preprint CERN-TH.6739/92 NI92009 DFUB-92-21

Exact equations are proposed to describe g-function flows in integrable boundary quantum field theories which interpolate between different conformal field theories in their ultraviolet and infrared limits, extending previous work where purely massive flows were treated. The approach is illustrated with flows between the tricritical and critical Ising models, but the method is not restricted to these cases and should be of use in unravelling general patterns of integrable boundary flows between pairs of conformal field theories., Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures

Starting from a recently-proposed general formula, various properties of the ADE series of purely elastic S-matrices are rederived in a universal way. In particular, the relationship between the pole structure and the bootstrap equations is shown to follow from properties of root systems. The discussion leads to a formula for the signs of the three-point couplings in the simply-laced affine Toda theories, and a simple proof of a result due to Klassen and Melzer of relevance to Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz calculations.

The aim of these notes is to provide an elementary introduction to some of the basic elements of exact S-matrix theory. This is a large subject, and only the foothills will be explored here. A particular omission is any serious discussion of the Yang-Baxter equation; instead, I will focus on questions of analytic structure, and the bootstrap equations. Even then, what I have to say will only be a sketch of the simpler aspects. The hope is to give a hint of the many unexpected features of scattering theories in 1+1 dimensions.

The masses and three-point couplings for all affine Toda theories are calculated. The exact factorisable S-matrices are conjectured on the basis of the classical masses and couplings and found, in the case of theories based on simply-laced algebras, to give consistent solutions to the bootstrap. An investigation of the properties of the exact S-matrices in perturbation theory is begun but non-perturbative methods will be required to understand the conjectured duality between weak and strong coupling which appears to be a striking feature of these theories.

The correspondence between ordinary differential equations and Bethe ansatz equations for integrable lattice models in their continuum limits is generalised to vertex models related to classical simple Lie algebras. New families of pseudo-differential equations are proposed, and a link between specific generalised eigenvalue problems for these equations and the Bethe ansatz is deduced. The pseudo-differential operators resemble in form the Miura-transformed Lax operators studied in work on generalised KdV equations, classical W-algebras and, more recently, in the context of the geometric Langlands correspondence. Negative-dimension and boundary-condition dualities are also observed., Comment: 50 pages, 4 figures. v2: typos corrected, extra numerical results included

We discuss reflection factors for purely elastic scattering theories and relate them to perturbations of specific conformal boundary conditions, using recent results on exact off-critical g-functions. For the non-unitary cases, we support our conjectures using a relationship with quantum group reductions of the sine-Gordon model. Our results imply the existence of a variety of new flows between conformal boundary conditions, some of them driven by boundary-changing operators., 45 pages, 7 figures. v2: minor typos corrected, 3 new references and some further discussion of the massless boundary flows included

The mergings of energy levels associated with the breaking of PT symmetry in the model of Bender and Boettcher, and in its generalisation to incorporate a centrifugal term, are analysed in detail. Even though conventional WKB techniques fail, it is shown how the ODE/IM correspondence can be used to obtain a systematic approximation scheme which captures all previously-observed features. Nonperturbative effects turn out to play a crucial role, governing the behaviour of almost all levels once the symmetry-breaking transition has been passed. In addition, a novel treatment of the radial Schrodinger equation is used to recover the values of local and non-local conserved charges in the related integrable quantum field theories, without any need for resummation even when the angular momentum is nonzero., 29 pages, Latex, many figures. v2: sign typos fixed, and a reference added

We study the P"oschl-Teller equation in complex domain and deduce infinite families of TQ and Bethe ansatz equations, classified by four integers. In all these models the form of T is very simple, while Q can be explicitly written in terms of the Heun function. At particular values there is a interesting interpretation in terms of finite lattice spin (L-2)/2 XXZ quantum chain with Delta= cos(pi/L) (for free-free boundary conditions), or Delta=-cos(pi/L) (for periodic boundary conditions). This result generalises the findings of Fridkin, Stroganov and Zagier. We also discuss the continuous (field theory) limit of these systems in view of the so-called ODE/IM correspondence., 18+1 pages, 4 figures, typo corrected, references added

We review some surprising links which have been discovered in the last few years between the theory of certain ordinary differential equations, and particular integrable lattice models and quantum field theories in two dimensions. An application of this correspondence to a problem in non-Hermitian (PT-symmetric) quantum mechanics is also discussed., Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, latex. Contribution to the Proceedings of ICMP 2003, Lisbon

We continue our discussion of the q-state Potts models for q, 52 pages, many figures. Latex 2e, uses amssymb,graphicx. v2: typos corrected, references and further comments added

We discuss the q-state Potts models for qq>=2. We also note a curious appearance of the extended last line of Freudenthal's magic square in connection with the Potts models., 43 pages, many figures. Latex 2e, uses amssymb,cite,graphicx. v2: typos corrected and references added; discussion of the link with Deligne's conjecture expanded

A connection between integrable quantum field theory and the spectral theory of ordinary differential equations is reviewed, with particular emphasis being given to its relevance to certain problems in PT-symmetric quantum mechanics.

The one-dimensional Schrodinger equation for the potential $x^6+\alpha x^2 +l(l+1)/x^2$ has many interesting properties. For certain values of the parameters l and alpha the equation is in turn supersymmetric (Witten), quasi-exactly solvable (Turbiner), and it also appears in Lipatov's approach to high energy QCD. In this paper we signal some further curious features of these theories, namely novel spectral equivalences with particular second- and third-order differential equations. These relationships are obtained via a recently-observed connection between the theories of ordinary differential equations and integrable models. Generalised supersymmetry transformations acting at the quasi-exactly solvable points are also pointed out, and an efficient numerical procedure for the study of these and related problems is described. Finally we generalise slightly and then prove a conjecture due to Bessis, Zinn-Justin, Bender and Boettcher, concerning the reality of the spectra of certain PT-symmetric quantum-mechanical systems., Comment: 32 pages, 12 figures, Latex2e, amssymb, cite and graphicx. v2: References, and a new section with two further dualities, added; typos corrected. v3: Ref [8] corrected. v4: 5 more references,and more typos corrected v5: New title, note added at end and 3 new refs

The appearances of complex eigenvalues in the spectra of PT-symmetric quantum-mechanical systems are usually associated with a spontaneous breaking of PT. In this letter we discuss a family of models for which this phenomenon is also linked with an explicit breaking of supersymmetry. Exact level-crossings are located, and connections with N-fold supersymmetry and quasi-exact solvability in certain special cases are pointed out., 11 pages, 12 figures, Latex2e, amssymb, cite and graphicx. v2: a comment and two references added. v3: minor changes, and two references updated

We find the spectrum of boundary bound states for the sine-Gordon model with Dirichlet boundary conditions, closing the bootstrap and providing a complete description of all the poles in the boundary reflection factors. The boundary Coleman-Thun mechanism plays an important role in the analysis. Two basic lemmas are introduced which should hold for any 1+1-dimensional boundary field theory, allowing the general method to be applied to other models., Comment: 26 pages, LaTeX2e, uses amsfonts.sty. V2: typos corrected, and equation numbering changed to agree with published version

We exhibit a relationship between the massless $a_2^{(2)}$ integrable quantum field theory and a certain third-order ordinary differential equation, thereby extending a recent result connecting the massless sine-Gordon model to the Schr\"odinger equation. This forms part of a more general correspondence involving $A_2$-related Bethe ansatz systems and third-order differential equations. A non-linear integral equation for the generalised spectral problem is derived, and some numerical checks are performed. Duality properties are discussed, and a simple variant of the nonlinear equation is suggested as a candidate to describe the finite volume ground state energies of minimal conformal field theories perturbed by the operators $\phi_{12}$, $\phi_{21}$ and $\phi_{15}$. This is checked against previous results obtained using the thermodynamic Bethe ansatz., Comment: 25 pages, Latex 2e, 3 figures, uses graphics, cite. v2: Typos corrected, section 6 expanded and an error fixed,references added v3: Notes and references added, to appear in Nucl. Phys. B

The vacuum expectation values of the so-called Q-operators of certain integrable quantum field theories have recently been identified with spectral determinants of particular Schrodinger operators. In this paper we extend the correspondence to the T-operators, finding that their vacuum expectation values also have an interpretation as spectral determinants. As byproducts we give a simple proof of an earlier conjecture of ours, proved by another route by Suzuki, and generalise a problem in PT symmetric quantum mechanics studied by Bender and Boettcher. We also stress that the mapping between Q-operators and Schrodinger equations means that certain problems in integrable quantum field theory are related to the study of Regge poles in non-relativistic potential scattering., Comment: 33 pages, LaTeX 2e, 7 eps figures, uses amssymb, cite, epsf; v2: typos corrected and one reference added

The spectral determinant $D(E)$ of the quartic oscillator is known to satisfy a functional equation. This is mapped onto the $A_3$-related $Y$-system emerging in the treatment of a certain perturbed conformal field theory, allowing us to give an alternative integral expression for $D(E)$. Generalising this result, we conjecture a relationship between the $x^{2M}$ anharmonic oscillators and the $A_{2M-1}$ TBA systems. Finally, spectral determinants for general $|x|^{\alpha}$ potentials are mapped onto the solutions of nonlinear integral equations associated with the (twisted) XXZ and sine-Gordon models., Comment: 11 pages, Latex 2e, uses amssymb, cite

We point out some problems with the previously-proposed phase diagram of the $Z_6$ spin models. Consideration of the diagram near to the decoupling surface using both exact and approximate arguments suggests a modification which remedies these deficiencies. With the aid of a new parametrisation of the phase space, we study the models numerically, with results which support our conjectures., Comment: 10 pages, Latex 2e, 4 figures, uses epsf, amssymb, cite

The method of analytic continuation is used to find exact integral equations for a selection of finite-volume energy levels for the non-unitary minimal models $M_{2,2N+3}$ perturbed by their $\varphi_{13}$ operators. The N=2 case is studied in particular detail. Along the way, we find a number of general results which should be relevant to the study of excited states in other models., Comment: 64 pages, Latex, 13 figures included (uses epsf). Figures (with slightly higher resolution) also available on request to the Authors

The theory of classically integrable nonlinear wave equations, and the Bethe Ansatz systems describing massive quantum field theories defined on an infinite cylinder, are related by an important mathematical correspondence that still lacks a satisfactory physical interpretation. In this paper we shall describe this link for the case of the classical and quantum versions of the (Tzitz\'eica-)Bullough-Dodd model., Comment: 20 pages

The generally accepted phase diagrams for the discrete $Z_N$ spin models in two dimensions imply the existence of certain renormalisation group flows, both between conformal field theories and into a massive phase. Integral equations are proposed to describe these flows, and some properties of their solutions are discussed. The infrared behaviour in massless and massive directions is analysed in detail, and the techniques used are applied to a number of other models., Comment: 64 pages, latex, 4 eps files, uses epsf.tex. References added and typos corrected; version to appear in Nuclear Physics B

A correspondence between the sextic anharmonic oscillator and a pair of third-order ordinary differential equations is used to investigate the phenomenon of quasi-exact solvability for eigenvalue problems involving differential operators with order greater than two. In particular, links with Bender-Dunne polynomials and resonances between independent solutions are observed for certain second-order cases, and extended to the higher-order problems., 14 pages, Latex

The question of the integrability of real-coupling affine toda field theory on a half-line is addressed. It is found, by examining low-spin conserved charges, that the boundary conditions preserving integrability are strongly constrained. In particular, for the $a_n\ (n>1)$ series of models there can be no free parameters introduced by the boundary condition; indeed the only remaining freedom (apart from choosing the simple condition $\partial_1��=0$), resides in a choice of signs. For a special case of the boundary condition, it is argued that the classical boundary bound state spectrum is closely related to a consistent set of reflection factors in the quantum field theory., 16 pages, TEX (harvmac), DTP-94/7, YITP/U-94-11

The affine Toda field theories based on the non simply-laced Lie algebras are discussed. By rewriting the S-matrix formulae found by Delius et al, a universal form for the coupling-constant dependence of these models is obtained, and related to various general properties of the classical couplings. This is illustrated via the S-matrix associated with the dual pair of algebras $f_4^{(1)}$ and $e_6^{(2)}$., Comment: 12 pages (harvmac), CERN-TH.6873/93

We propose a class of purely elastic scattering theories generalising the staircase model of Al. B. Zamolodchikov, based on the affine Toda field theories for simply-laced Lie algebras g=A,D,E at suitable complex values of their coupling constants. Considering their Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz equations, we give analytic arguments in support of a conjectured renormalisation group flow visiting the neighbourhood of each W_g minimal model in turn., 22 pages, Saclay-Bologna preprint SPhT/92-065, DFUB-92-09

Starting from a recently-proposed general formula, various properties of the ADE series of purely elastic S-matrices are rederived in a universal way. In particular, the relationship between the pole structure and the bootstrap equations is shown to follow from properties of root systems. The discussion leads to a formula for the signs of the three-point couplings in the simply-laced affine Toda theories, and a simple proof of a result due to Klassen and Melzer of relevance to Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz calculations., 21 pages

Within the framework of the ODE/IM correspondence, we show that the minimal conformal field theories with c, 12 pages, 3 figures; typos corrected and reference added

Recently, Zamolodchikov has suggested a way of exploring the properties of the Ising model in a background magnetic field, i.e. away from criticaliy(1).