Tracking S-matrix bounds across dimensions

Abstract

We study massive $2\to 2$ scattering of identical scalar particles in spacetime dimensions 3 to 11 using non-perturbative S-matrix bootstrap techniques. Treating $d$ as a continuous parameter, we compute two-sided numerical bounds on low-energy observables and find smooth branches of extremal amplitudes separated by sharp kinks at $d=5$ and $d=7$, coinciding with a transition in threshold analyticity and the loss of some well-known dispersive positivity constraints. Our results reveal a rich structure in the space of massive S-matrices across dimensions and identify threshold singularities as a key organizing principle. We comment on numerical limitations at large dimension and on possible implications for ultraviolet completion in higher-dimensional quantum field theory.

7+10 pages, 5 figures