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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: de Rham, Claudia, Jaitly, Sumer, Kaplanek, Greg
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.11980
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author de Rham, Claudia
Jaitly, Sumer
Kaplanek, Greg
author_facet de Rham, Claudia
Jaitly, Sumer
Kaplanek, Greg
contents In theories with multiple particle species standard fixed-t positivity bounds do not directly apply to 2-to-2 definite species scattering amplitudes when the initial and final state are not the same (inelastic processes). These inelastic amplitudes are nevertheless constrained by positivity bounds indirectly, by considering scattering states which are arbitrary superpositions of definite species two-particle states. While these `superposition bounds' have been studied and utilised extensively in the past, earlier analyses typically consider cases insensitive to relative particle masses and IR branch cuts. Here we derive new families of bounds that take account and depend explicitly on mass differences between species making no assumption of weak-coupling. We emphasise unusual non-analyticities induced by the IR mass difference within the superposition amplitude and use fixed (backwards) angle dispersion relations to prove our bounds. We then discuss extensions of our results to `improved bounds', with implications worth exploring for pions and other EFTs of the Standard Model and Beyond, particularly where IR branch cuts are non-negligible.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_11980
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Mixed signals in the IR: Positivity bounds with indefinite species
de Rham, Claudia
Jaitly, Sumer
Kaplanek, Greg
High Energy Physics - Theory
In theories with multiple particle species standard fixed-t positivity bounds do not directly apply to 2-to-2 definite species scattering amplitudes when the initial and final state are not the same (inelastic processes). These inelastic amplitudes are nevertheless constrained by positivity bounds indirectly, by considering scattering states which are arbitrary superpositions of definite species two-particle states. While these `superposition bounds' have been studied and utilised extensively in the past, earlier analyses typically consider cases insensitive to relative particle masses and IR branch cuts. Here we derive new families of bounds that take account and depend explicitly on mass differences between species making no assumption of weak-coupling. We emphasise unusual non-analyticities induced by the IR mass difference within the superposition amplitude and use fixed (backwards) angle dispersion relations to prove our bounds. We then discuss extensions of our results to `improved bounds', with implications worth exploring for pions and other EFTs of the Standard Model and Beyond, particularly where IR branch cuts are non-negligible.
title Mixed signals in the IR: Positivity bounds with indefinite species
topic High Energy Physics - Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.11980