Multi-loop amplitudes and resummation

We explore the relation between resummation and explicit multi-loop calculations for QCD hard-scattering amplitudes. We describe how the factorization properties of amplitudes lead to the exponentiation of double and single poles at each order of perturbation theory. For these amplitudes, previously-observed relations between single and double poles in different 2 --> 2 processes can now be interpreted in terms of universal functions associated with external partons and process-dependent anomalous dimensions that describe coherent soft radiation. Catani's proposal for multiple poles in dimensionally-continued amplitudes emerges naturally. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.