HEP Theory Journal Club

Causality constraints on EFTs

Sera Cremonini

Lehigh University

I will discuss how causality can be used to place bounds on higher derivative corrections to Einstein Maxwell theory. Scattering probe photons off of charged shock waves, we obtain new constraints on the Wilson coefficients parametrizing higher derivative operators. As we will see, gravity weakens the purely field theoretic bounds. Moreover, in four dimensions subtleties arise from IR divergences which need to be regulated, obscuring the physics.