Positive moments for scattering amplitudes

We find the complete set of conditions satisfied by the forward 2 -> 2 scattering amplitude in unitary and causal theories. These are based on an infinite set of energy dependent quantities (the arcs) which are dispersively expressed as moments of a positive measure defined at (arbitrarily) higher energies. We identify optimal finite subsets of constraints, suitable to bound effective field theories (EFTs), at any finite order in the energy expansion. At tree level arcs are in a one to one correspondence with Wilson coefficients. We establish under which conditions this approximation applies, identifying seemingly viable EFTs where it never does. In all cases, we discuss the range of validity in both energy and couplings, where the latter has to satisfy two-sided bounds. We also extend our results to the case of small but finite t. A consequence of our study is that EFTs in which the scattering amplitude in some regime grows in energy faster than E-6 cannot be UV completed.

Automated summary

We have identified the complete set of conditions satisfied by the forward 2 -> 2 scattering amplitude in unitary and causal theories, which can be applied to effective field theories (EFTs). We have found optimal subsets of constraints suitable for bounding EFTs at any finite order in the energy expansion, and discussed conditions for the approximation to apply and the validity range in energy and couplings.