Light-by-Light Scattering Effect in Light-Cone Supergraphs

Abstract

We give a relatively simple explanation of the light-cone supergraph prediction for the UV properties of the maximally supersymmetric theories. It is based on the existence of a dynamical supersymmetry which is not manifest in the light-cone supergraphs. It suggests that N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory is UV finite and N=8 supergravity is UV finite at least until 7 loops whereas the $n$-point amplitudes have no UV divergences at least until $L=n+3$. Here we show that this prediction can be deduced from the properties of light-cone supergraphs analogous to the light-by-light scattering effect in QED. A technical aspect of the argument relies on the observation that the dynamical supersymmetry action is, in fact, a compensating field-dependent gauge transformation required for the retaining the light-cone gauge condition $A_+=0$.