Restrictions of Pfaffian Systems for Feynman Integrals

Abstract

This work studies limits of Pfaffian systems, a class of first-order PDEs appearing in the Feynman integral calculus. Such limits appear naturally in the context of scattering amplitudes when there is a separation of scale in a given set of kinematic variables. We model these limits, which are often singular, via restrictions of D-modules. We thereby develop two different restriction algorithms: one based on gauge transformations, and another relying on the Macaulay matrix. These algorithms output Pfaffian systems containing fewer variables and of smaller rank. We show that it is also possible to retain logarithmic corrections in the limiting variable. The algorithms are showcased in many examples involving Feynman integrals and hypergeometric functions coming from GKZ systems.