A homotopy BV algebra for Yang-Mills and color-kinematics

Abstract

Yang-Mills gauge theory on Minkowski space supports a Batalin-Vilkovisky-infinity algebra structure, all whose operations are local. To make this work, the axioms for a BV-infinity algebra are deformed by a quadratic element, here the Minkowski wave operator. This homotopy structure implies BCJ/color-kinematics duality; a cobar construction yields a strict algebraic structure whose Feynman expansion for Yang-Mills tree amplitudes complies with the duality. It comes with a `syntactic kinematic algebra'.