Dr Congkao Wen
Senior Lecturer
School of Physical and Chemical Sciences
Queen Mary University of London
Queen Mary University of London
Research
Interests
My recent research interest focuses on perturbative and non-perturbative aspects of quantum field theory, quantum gravity and string theory.One of my main areas of activity has been developing and exploiting modern powerful techniques of scattering amplitudes, which includes two main research directions: 1. new formulations of scattering amplitudes in terms of twistor theory and Grassmannian geometry; 2. applying modern techniques of scattering amplitudes to other research areas.
Over the past few years, new twistor-like formulas have been discovered for scattering amplitudes in a wide range of interesting theories, including the world-volume theory of single probe brane in M-theory and string theory. These new mathematical formulas not only provide concrete formulas for the amplitudes in these theories, but also reveal new structures. This research direction is to discover such new formulations for more theories and explore the implications.
My other major line of work is to study the applications of scattering amplitude techniques in other research areas. In particular, I am interested in understanding the symmetry constraints on effective actions in the language of scattering amplitudes. Scattering amplitudes provide extremely efficient ways of imposing the constraints, in the form of, for instance, soft theorems, unitarity and superamplitude consistency.
Recently, I have also been interested in exploring deep connections between flat-space amplitudes and holographic correlation functions in AdS space. Holographic correlators resemble many properties of flat-space scattering amplitudes, especially when formulated in Mellin space. This allows us to apply "amplitude-inspired methods" to study these correlators at the level of supergravity limit and beyond.
Publications
Publications of specific relevance to the Centre for Fundamental Physics2024
Dorigoni D, Duan Z, Pavarini DR, Wen C and Xie H (2024). Electromagnetic duality for line defect correlators in N = 4 super Yang-Mills theory. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2024 (11) 13-11-2024
Brown A, Galvagno F and Wen C (2024). All-loop Heavy-Heavy-Light-Light correlators in N = 4 super Yang-Mills theory. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2024 (10) 24-10-2024
Chen G, Rodina L and Wen C (2024). Kinematic Hopf algebra and Bern-Carrasco-Johansson numerators at finite α′. Physical Review D, American Physical Society (APS) vol. 110 (4) 15-08-2024
Brown A, Galvagno F and Wen C (2024). Exact results for giant graviton four-point correlators. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2024 (7) 05-07-2024
Alday LF, Chester SM, Dorigoni D, Green MB and Wen C (2024). Relations between integrated correlators in N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2024 (5) 06-05-2024
Brown A, Heslop P, Wen C and Xie H (2024). Integrated Correlators in N=4 Supersymmetric Yang-Mills Theory beyond Localization. Physical Review Letters, American Physical Society (APS) vol. 132 (10) 07-03-2024
Chen G, Rodina L and Wen C (2024). Kinematic Hopf algebra for amplitudes from higher-derivative operators. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2024 (2) 14-02-2024
2023
Brown A, Wen C and Xie H (2023). Generating functions and large-charge expansion of integrated correlators in ???? = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2023 (7) 14-07-2023
Brown A, Wen C and Xie H (2023). Laplace-difference equation for integrated correlators of operators with general charges in N = 4 SYM. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2023 (6) 13-06-2023
Dorigoni D, Green MB, Wen C and Xie H (2023). Modular-invariant large-N completion of an integrated correlator in N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2023 (4) 24-04-2023
Chen G, Lin G and Wen C (2023). Kinematic Hopf algebra for amplitudes and form factors. Physical Review D, American Physical Society (APS) vol. 107 (8) 15-04-2023
2022
Travaglini G, Brandhuber A, Dorey P, McLoughlin T, Abreu S, Bern Z, Bjerrum-Bohr NEJ, Blümlein J, Britto R, Carrasco JJM, Chicherin D, Chiodaroli M, Damgaard PH, Del Duca V, Dixon LJ, Dorigoni D, Duhr C, Geyer Y, Green MB, Herrmann E, et al. (2022). The SAGEX review on scattering amplitudes., Editors: Travaglini G, Dorey P, Brandhuber A and McLoughlin T. Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical vol. 55 (44), 443001-443001. 19-12-2022
Brandhuber A, Brown GR, Chen G, Gowdy J, Travaglini G and Wen C (2022). Amplitudes, Hopf algebras and the colour-kinematics duality. Journal of High Energy Physics vol. 2022 (12), 101-101. 19-12-2022
Dorigoni D, Green MB and Wen C (2022). Chapter 10: Selected topics on modular covariance of type IIB string amplitudes and their N=4 supersymmetric Yang–Mills duals. Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical vol. 55 (44), 443011-443011. 30-11-2022
Dorigoni D, Green M and Wen C (2022). Exact results for duality-covariant integrated correlators in $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM with general classical gauge groups. SciPost Physics vol. 13 (4), 092-092. 11-10-2022
Dorigoni D, Green MB and Wen C (2022). Exact results for duality-covariant integrated correlators in $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM with general classical gauge groups. 15-06-2022
Wen C and Zhang S-Q (2022). Integrated correlators in N = 4 super Yang-Mills and periods. Journal of High Energy Physics, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA) vol. 2022 (5), 126-126. 20-05-2022
Dorigoni D, Green MB and Wen C (2022). Exact results for duality-covariant integrated correlators in $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM with general classical gauge groups. 27-04-2022
Brandhuber A, Chen G, Johansson H, Travaglini G and Wen C (2022). Kinematic Hopf Algebra for Bern-Carrasco-Johansson Numerators in Heavy-Mass Effective Field Theory and Yang-Mills Theory. Physical Review Letters vol. 128 (12), 121601-121601. 25-03-2022
Huang YT, Kojima R, Wen C and Zhang SQ (2022). The orthogonal momentum amplituhedron and ABJM amplitudes. Journal of High Energy Physics vol. 2022 (1) 25-01-2022
2021
Dorigoni D, Green MB and Wen C (2021). Exact expressions for n-point maximal U(1)Y-violating integrated correlators in SU(N) N = 4 SYM. Journal of High Energy Physics vol. 2021 (11), 132-132. 18-11-2021
Brandhuber A, Chen G, Travaglini G and Wen C (2021). Classical gravitational scattering from a gauge-invariant double copy. Journal of High Energy Physics vol. 2021 (10) 15-10-2021
Wen C and Zhang SQ (2021). Notes on gravity multiplet correlators in AdS 19-07-2021
Brandhuber A, Chen G, Travaglini G and Wen C (2021). A new gauge-invariant double copy for heavy-mass effective theory. Journal of High Energy Physics vol. 2021 (7), 47-47. 09-07-2021
Dorigoni D, Green MB and Wen C (2021). Exact properties of an integrated correlator in N = 4 SU(N) SYM. Journal of High Energy Physics vol. 2021 (5) 12-05-2021
Dorigoni D, Green MB and Wen C (2021). Novel Representation of an Integrated Correlator in N=4 Supersymmetric Yang-Mills Theory. Physical Review Letters, American Physical Society (APS) vol. 126 (16) 22-04-2021
Chester SM, Green MB, Pufu SS, Wang Y and Wen C (2021). New modular invariants in N = 4 Super-Yang-Mills theory. Journal of High Energy Physics vol. 2021 (4) 21-04-2021
Green MB and Wen C (2021). Maximal U(1)Y-violating n-point correlators in N = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory. The Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Verlag (Germany) vol. 2021 (2), 42-42. 04-02-2021
2020
Chester SM, Green MB, Pufu SS, Wang Y and Wen C (2020). Modular invariance in superstring theory from N = 4 super-Yang-Mills. Journal of High Energy Physics vol. 2020 (11) 06-11-2020
Giusto S, Russo R, Tyukov A and Wen C (2020). The CFT6 origin of all tree-level 4-point correlators in AdS3 x S3. European Physical Journal C vol. 80 (8) 01-08-2020
Wen C and Zhang S-Q (2020). D3-brane loop amplitudes from M5-brane tree amplitudes. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2020 (7) 01-07-2020
2019
Green MB and Wen C (2019). Superstring amplitudes, unitarily, and Hankel determinants of multiple zeta values. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Science and Business Media LLC vol. 2019 (11) 13-11-2019
Giusto S, Russo R, Tyukov A and Wen C (2019). Holographic correlators in AdS3 without Witten diagrams. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Science and Business Media LLC vol. 2019 (9) 04-09-2019
Schwarz JH and Wen C (2019). Unified formalism for 6D superamplitudes based on a symplectic Grassmannian. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Science and Business Media LLC vol. 2019 (8) 22-08-2019
Chen W-M, Huang Y-T, Noumi T and Wen C (2019). Unitarity bounds on charged/neutral state mass ratios. Physical Review D, American Physical Society (APS) vol. 100 (2) 26-07-2019
Green MB and Wen C (2019). Modular forms and SL(2, ℤ)-covariance of type IIB superstring theory. Journal of High Energy Physics vol. 2019 (6) 18-06-2019
WEN C, Heydeman M, Schwarz JH and Zhang S-Q (2019). All Tree Amplitudes of 6D (2,0) Supergravity: Interacting Tensor Multiplets and the K3 Moduli Space. Physical Review Letters, American Physical Society 22-03-2019
WEN C, Giusto S and RUSSO R (2019). Holographic correlators in AdS3. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Berlin Heidelberg 18-03-2019
2018
WEN C, Huang Y-T and Kuo C-K (2018). Dualities for Ising networks. Physical Review Letters, American Physical Society vol. 121 (251604) 21-12-2018
WEN C, Cachazo F, Guevara A, Heydeman M, Mizera S and Schwarz JH (2018). The S Matrix of 6D Super Yang-Mills and Maximal Supergravity from Rational Maps. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Verlag (Germany) 20-09-2018
Cheung C, Kampf K, Novotny J, Shen C-H, Trnka J and Wen C (2018). Vector Effective Field Theories from Soft Limits. Physical Review Letters vol. 120 (26) 29-06-2018
Cheung C, Remmen GN, Shen C-H and Wen C (2018). Pions as gluons in higher dimensions. Journal of High Energy Physics vol. 2018 (4) 24-04-2018
Cheung C, Shen C-H and Wen C (2018). Unifying relations for scattering amplitudes. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2018 (2) 15-02-2018
Billò M, Fucito F, Lerda A, Morales JF, Stanev YS and Wen C (2018). Two-point correlators in N = 2 gauge theories. Nuclear Physics B, Elsevier vol. 926, 427-466. 01-01-2018
2017
WEN C, Schwarz J and Heydeman M (2017). M5-brane and D-brane scattering amplitudes. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Verlag (Germany) 01-12-2017
Guerrieri AL, Huang Y-T, Li Z and Wen C (2017). On the exactness of soft theorems. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2017 (12) 01-12-2017
Bianchi M, Jantzen RT, Ruffini R, Morales JF and Wen C (2017). Instanton corrections to the effective action of ???? = 4 SYM. The Fourteenth Marcel Grossmann Meeting. 16-11-2017
Meidinger D, Nandan D, Penante B and Wen C (2017). A note on NMHV form factors from the Graßmannian and the twistor string. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2017 (9) 01-09-2017
Gliozzi F, Guerrieri AL, Petkou AC and Wen C (2017). The analytic structure of conformal blocks and the generalized Wilson-Fisher fixed points. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2017 (4) 01-04-2017
Gliozzi F, Guerrieri AL, Petkou AC and Wen C (2017). Generalized Wilson-Fisher Critical Points from the Conformal Operator Product Expansion. Physical Review Letters vol. 118 (6) 09-02-2017
2016
Nandan D, Plefka J, Schlotterer O and Wen C (2016). Einstein-Yang-Mills from pure Yang-Mills amplitudes. Journal of High Energy Physics vol. 2016 (10) 14-10-2016
Bianchi M, Guerrieri AL, Huang Y-T, Lee C-J and Wen C (2016). Exploring soft constraints on effective actions. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2016 (10) 01-10-2016
Bourjaily JL, Franco S, Galloni D and Wen C (2016). Stratifying on-shell cluster varieties: the geometry of non-planar on-shell diagrams. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2016 (10) 01-10-2016
Huang Y-T, Schlotterer O and Wen C (2016). Universality in string interactions. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2016 (9) 01-09-2016
Guerrieri AL, Petkou AC and Wen C (2016). The free σCFTs. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2016 (9) 01-09-2016
Luo H and Wen C (2016). Recursion relations from soft theorems. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2016 (3) 01-03-2016
2015
Huang Y-T and Wen C (2015). Soft theorems from anomalous symmetries. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2015 (12), 1-31. 01-12-2015
Bianchi M, Morales JF and Wen C (2015). Instanton corrections to the effective action of N=4 SYM. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2015 (11) 01-11-2015
Bianchi M, He S, Huang Y-T and Wen C (2015). More on soft theorems: Trees, loops, and strings. Physical Review D, American Physical Society (APS) vol. 92 (6) 15-09-2015
Chen W-M, Huang Y-T and Wen C (2015). Exact coefficients for higher dimensional operators with sixteen supersymmetries. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2015 (9) 01-09-2015
Volovich A, Wen C and Zlotnikov M (2015). Double soft theorems in gauge and string theories. Journal of High Energy Physics vol. 2015 (7) 20-07-2015
Chen W-M, Huang Y-T and Wen C (2015). New Fermionic Soft Theorems for Supergravity Amplitudes. Physical Review Letters vol. 115 (2) 10-06-2015
Franco S, Galloni D, Penante B and Wen C (2015). Non-planar on-shell diagrams. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2015 (6) 01-06-2015
Chen W-M, Huang Y-T and Wen C (2015). From U(1) to E8: soft theorems in supergravity amplitudes. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2015 (3) 01-03-2015
2014
He S, Huang YT and Wen C (2014). Loop corrections to soft theorems in gauge theories and gravity. Journal of High Energy Physics vol. 2014 (12) 16-12-2014
Garner D, Ramgoolam S and Wen C (2014). Thresholds of Large N Factorization in CFT4 : Exploring bulk spacetime
in AdS5. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer 17-11-2014
Huang Y-T, Wen C and Xie D (2014). The positive orthogonal Grassmannian and loop amplitudes of ABJM. Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical, IOP Publishing vol. 47 (47) 11-11-2014
Brandhuber A, Penante B, Travaglini G and Wen C (2014). The last of the simple remainders. JOURNAL OF HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS (8) 18-08-2014
Penante B, Spence B, Travaglini G and Wen C (2014). On super form factors of half-BPS operators in N=4 super Yang-Mills. JOURNAL OF HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS (4) 11-04-2014
Huang YT and Wen C (2014). ABJM amplitudes and the positive orthogonal Grassmannian. Journal of High Energy Physics vol. 2014 (2) 25-02-2014
Bianchi M, Brandhuber A, Travaglini G and Wen C (2014). Simplifying instanton corrections to N=4 SYM correlators. JOURNAL OF HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS (4) 01-01-2014
2013
de Mello Koch R, Ramgoolam S and Wen C (2013). On the refined counting of graphs on surfaces. Nuclear Physics B, Elsevier vol. 870 (3), 530-581. 01-05-2013
2012
Brandhuber A, Travaglini G and Wen C (2012). All one-loop amplitudes in N=6 superconformal Chern-Simons theory. JOURNAL OF HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS vol. 2012 (10) 01-10-2012
Nandan D and Wen C (2012). Generating all tree amplitudes in by Inverse Soft Limit. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2012 (8) 01-08-2012
Brandhuber A, Travaglini G and Wen C (2012). A note on amplitudes in N=6 superconformal Chern-Simons theory. JOURNAL OF HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS vol. 2012 (7) 01-07-2012
Nandan D, Volovich A and Wen C (2012). On Feynman rules for Mellin amplitudes in AdS/CFT. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2012 (5) 01-05-2012
2011
He S, Nandan D and Wen C (2011). Note on bonus relations for supergravity tree amplitudes. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2011 (2) 01-02-2011
Bourjaily JL, Trnka J, Volovich A and Wen C (2011). The Grassmannian and the twistor string: connecting all trees in SYM. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2011 (1) 01-01-2011
2010
Nandan D, Volovich A and Wen C (2010). A grassmannian étude in NMHV minors. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2010 (7) 01-07-2010
Nguyen D, Spradlin M, Volovich A and Wen C (2010). The tree formula for MHV graviton amplitudes. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2010 (7) 01-07-2010
Nguyen D, Spradlin M, Volovich A and Wen C (2010). The tree formula for MHV graviton amplitudes. Journal of High Energy Physics vol. 2010 (7) 01-01-2010
2009
Volovich A and Wen C (2009). Correlation functions in non-relativistic holography. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2009 (05) 20-05-2009
Drummond JM, Spradlin M, Volovich A and Wen C (2009). Tree-level amplitudes in N=8 supergravity. Physical Review D, American Physical Society (APS) vol. 79 (10) 15-05-2009
Spradlin M, Volovich A and Wen C (2009). Three applications of a bonus relation for gravity amplitudes. Physics Letters B, Elsevier vol. 674 (1), 69-72. 01-04-2009
2008
Spradlin M, Volovich A and Wen C (2008). Three-loop leading singularities and Bern-Dixon-Smirnov ansatz for five particles. Physical Review D, American Physical Society (APS) vol. 78 (8) 15-10-2008
2007
2005
Luo M and Wen C (2005). Compact formulas for tree amplitudes of six partons. Physical Review D, American Physical Society (APS) vol. 71 (9) 01-05-2005
WEN C-K and YANG H-X (2005). QCD4 GLUEBALL MASSES FROM AdS6 BLACK HOLE DESCRIPTION. Modern Physics Letters A, World Scientific Publishing vol. 20 (13), 997-1003. 30-04-2005
Luo M and Wen C (2005). Recursion relations for tree amplitudes in super gauge theories. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2005 (03) 02-03-2005
Luo M and Wen C (2005). Systematics of one-loop scattering amplitudes in N=4 super-Yang–Mills theories. Physics Letters B, Elsevier vol. 609 (1-2), 86-94. 01-03-2005
Luo MX and Wen CK (2005). Compact formulas for tree amplitudes of six partons. PHYSICAL REVIEW D vol. 71 (9) 01-01-2005
2004
Luo M and Wen C (2004). One-loop maximal helicity violating amplitudes in N = 4 super Yang-Mills theories. Journal of High Energy Physics, Springer Nature vol. 2004 (11) 03-11-2004
Grants
Grants of specific relevance to the Centre for Fundamental PhysicsAmplitudes, Strings and Duality (CG 2022)Andreas Brandhuber, David Berman, Matthew Buican, Rodolfo Russo, David Vegh, Sanjaye Ramgoolam, Gabriele Travaglini, Christopher White, Bill Spence, Congkao Wen, Constantinos Papageorgakis, Ricardo Monteiro and Malcolm Perry
£1,477,966 Science & Technology Research Council (STFC) (01-10-2023 - 30-09-2026)
Scattering of Particles and Strings: Holography, Geometry, and Hidden structures - URF RenewalCongkao Wen
£407,603 Royal Society (01-01-2023 - 31-12-2025)
URF Renewals 2022: Enhanced Research ExpensesCongkao Wen
£240,000 Royal Society (01-01-2023 - 31-12-2025)
Congkao Wen, RS URF 1st-Year Grant starter grantCongkao Wen
£92,148 Royal Society (31-03-2018 - 31-12-2025)
Correlation functions in conformal field theories and AdS/CFT duality - Research Fellows Enhanced Research Expenses 2021Congkao Wen
£52,218 Royal Society (01-09-2022 - 31-08-2024)
Amplitudes, Strings and DualityAndreas Brandhuber, Bill Spence, Rodolfo Russo, Sanjaye Ramgoolam, Matthew Buican, Michael Green, Steven Thomas, Steven Thomas, Gabriele Travaglini, Congkao Wen, Constantinos Papageorgakis, David Berman, Christopher White, David Vegh, Ricardo Monteiro and Malcolm Perry
£890,210 Science & Technology Research Council (STFC) (01-10-2020 - 31-03-2024)
University Research Fellowship - Dr Congkao WenCongkao Wen
£494,123 Royal Society (01-04-2018 - 31-12-2022)