The SAGEX Review on Scattering Amplitudes, Chapter 2: An Invitation to Color-Kinematics Duality and the Double Copy

Abstract

Advances in scattering amplitudes have exposed previously-hidden color-kinematics and double-copy structures in theories ranging from gauge and gravity theories to effective field theories such as chiral perturbation theory and the Born-Infeld model. These novel structures both simplify higher-order calculations and pose tantalizing questions related to a unified framework underlying relativistic quantum theories. This introductory mini-review article invites further exploration of these topics. After a brief introduction to color-kinematics duality and the double copy as they emerges at tree and loop-level in gauge and gravity theories, we present two distinct examples: 1) an introduction to the web of double-copy-constructible theories, and 2) a discussion on the application of the double copy to calculation relevant to gravitational-wave physics.