Constructing $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 4 Coulomb branch superamplitudes

Abstract

Abstract We study scattering amplitudes of massive BPS states on the Coulomb branch of 4d $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 super-Yang-Mills, utilising a little group covariant on-shell superspace for massive particles. Super-BCFW recursion for massive amplitudes is constructed and its validity is proven for all Coulomb branch superamplitudes. We then determine the exact three-particle superamplitudes for massive states. These ingredients allow us to explicitly compute the four- and five-particle superamplitudes, which is the first non-trivial usage of BCFW recursion for amplitudes with entirely massive external states. The manifest little group covariance helps clarify both the role of special kinematic properties of BPS states and the organizational structures of the superamplitudes.