Dr Congkao Wen

Profile

I joined the Centre for Centre for Theoretical Physics in 2018. Previously, I held research positions at Caltech, at University of Rome, Tor Vergata, and at CTP in QMUL. I recieved my PhD at Brown University, and I did my my undergraduate and graduate studies at Zhejiang University.

Teaching

I currently teach a postgraduate course `Introduction to strings and branes`. The course is a basic introduction to String theory and Branes.

I also supervise undergraduate and master projects.

Research

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. 

Examples of research funding:

Grants held at QMUL:

Royal Society University Research Fellowship, 2018 - 2022 (£430,693)

Royal Society Grant supporting a PhD Studentship, 2018 - 2022 (£92,148)

Royal Society Grant supporting a PhD Studentship,  2022-2024 (£52,218)

Royal Society University Research Fellowship Renewals, 2023- 2025 (£356,623)

Royal Society Grant supporting a postdoc,  2023-2025 (£240,000)

Publications

My list of publications:

Complete list of publications on INSPIRE-HEP.

• Brandhuber A, Brown GR, Chen G et al. (2022). Amplitudes, Hopf algebras and the colour-kinematics duality. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/jhep12(2022)101

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/83931
• Travaglini G, Brandhuber A, Dorey P et al. (2022). The SAGEX review on scattering amplitudes. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1088/1751-8121/ac8380

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/83486
• Dorigoni D, Green MB, Wen C (2022). Chapter 10: Selected topics on modular covariance of type IIB string amplitudes and their N=4 supersymmetric Yang–Mills duals. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1088/1751-8121/ac9263

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/83493
• Dorigoni D, Green M, Wen C (2022). Exact results for duality-covariant integrated correlators in $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM with general classical gauge groups. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.21468/scipostphys.13.4.092

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Brandhuber A, Brown GR, Chen G et al. (2022). Amplitudes, Hopf algebras and the colour-kinematics duality. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2208.05886

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Wen C, Zhang S-Q (2022). Integrated correlators in N = 4 super Yang-Mills and periods. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/jhep05(2022)126

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/79129
• Brandhuber A, Chen G, Johansson H et al. (2022). Kinematic Hopf Algebra for Bern-Carrasco-Johansson Numerators in Heavy-Mass Effective Field Theory and Yang-Mills Theory. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.128.121601

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/78378
• Huang YT, Kojima R, Wen C et al. (2022). The orthogonal momentum amplituhedron and ABJM amplitudes. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP01(2022)141

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Brandhuber A, Chen G, Johansson H et al. (2021). Kinematic Hopf Algebra for BCJ Numerators in Heavy-Mass Effective Field Theory and Yang-Mills Theory. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2111.15649

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Dorigoni D, Green MB, Wen C (2021). Exact expressions for n-point maximal U(1)Y-violating integrated correlators in SU(N) N = 4 SYM. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/jhep11(2021)132

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/76224
• Brandhuber A, Chen G, Travaglini G et al. (2021). Classical gravitational scattering from a gauge-invariant double copy. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP10(2021)118

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/75160
• Brandhuber A, Chen G, Travaglini G et al. (2021). Classical gravitational scattering from a gauge-invariant double copy. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2108.04216

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Wen C, Zhang SQ (2021). Notes on gravity multiplet correlators in AdS 3 × S ³. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP07(2021)125

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/73371
• Brandhuber A, Chen G, Travaglini G et al. (2021). A new gauge-invariant double copy for heavy-mass effective theory. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/jhep07(2021)047

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/73369
• Dorigoni D, Green MB, Wen C (2021). Exact properties of an integrated correlator in N = 4 SU(N) SYM. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP05(2021)089

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/72566
• Brandhuber A, Chen G, Travaglini G et al. (2021). A new gauge-invariant double copy for heavy-mass effective theory. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2104.11206

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Dorigoni D, Green MB, Wen C (2021). Novel Representation of an Integrated Correlator in N=4 Supersymmetric Yang-Mills Theory. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.161601

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/72565
• Chester SM, Green MB, Pufu SS et al. (2021). New modular invariants in N = 4 Super-Yang-Mills theory. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP04(2021)212

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/72258
• Green MB, Wen C (2021). Maximal U(1)Y-violating n-point correlators in N = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/jhep02(2021)042

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/70499
• Chester SM, Green MB, Pufu SS et al. (2020). Modular invariance in superstring theory from N = 4 super-Yang-Mills. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP11(2020)016

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/72262
• Giusto S, Russo R, Tyukov A et al. (2020). The CFT6 origin of all tree-level 4-point correlators in AdS3 x S3. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-020-8300-4

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/66753
• Wen C, Zhang SQ (2020). D3-brane loop amplitudes from M5-brane tree amplitudes. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP07(2020)098

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/75165
• Green MB, Wen C (2019). Superstring amplitudes, unitarily, and Hankel determinants of multiple zeta values. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/jhep11(2019)079

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/61859
• Giusto S, Russo R, Tyukov A et al. (2019). Holographic correlators in AdS3 without Witten diagrams. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/jhep09(2019)030

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/59720
• Schwarz JH, Wen C (2019). Unified formalism for 6D superamplitudes based on a symplectic Grassmannian. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/jhep08(2019)125

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/59518
• Chen W-M, Huang Y-T, Noumi T et al. (2019). Unitarity bounds on charged/neutral state mass ratios. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1103/physrevd.100.025016

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/59065
• Green MB, Wen C (2019). Modular forms and SL(2, ℤ)-covariance of type IIB superstring theory. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP06(2019)087

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/58557
• WEN C, Heydeman M, Schwarz JH et al. (2019). All Tree Amplitudes of 6D (2,0) Supergravity: Interacting Tensor Multiplets and the K3 Moduli Space. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.111604

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/56528
• WEN C, Giusto S, RUSSO R (2019). Holographic correlators in AdS3. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP03(2019)096

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/56529
• WEN C, Huang Y-T, Kuo C-K (2018). Dualities for Ising networks. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.251604

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/54102
• WEN C, Cachazo F, Guevara A et al. (2018). The S Matrix of 6D Super Yang-Mills and Maximal Supergravity from Rational Maps. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP09(2018)125

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/48444
• Cheung C, Kampf K, Novotny J et al. (2018). Vector Effective Field Theories from Soft Limits. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.261602

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/48445
• Cheung C, Remmen GN, Shen C-H et al. (2018). Pions as gluons in higher dimensions. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP04(2018)129

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/47927
• Cheung C, Shen C-H, Wen C (2019). Unifying relations for scattering amplitudes. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/jhep02(2018)095

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/59519
• WEN C, Schwarz J, Heydeman M (2017). M5-brane and D-brane scattering amplitudes. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP12(2017)003

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/36714
• Gliozzi F, Guerrieri AL, Petkou AC et al. (2017). Generalized Wilson-Fisher Critical Points from the Conformal Operator Product Expansion. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.061601

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/39591
• Nandan D, Plefka J, Schlotterer O et al. (2016). Einstein-Yang-Mills from pure Yang-Mills amplitudes. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP10(2016)070

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/39587
• Bianchi M, He S, Huang YT et al. (2015). More on soft theorems: Trees, loops, and strings. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.92.065022

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/36713
• Volovich A, Wen C, Zlotnikov M (2015). Double soft theorems in gauge and string theories. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP07(2015)095

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/39590
• Chen W-M, Huang Y-T, Wen C (2015). New Fermionic Soft Theorems for Supergravity Amplitudes. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.021603

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/39665
• Franco S, Galloni D, Penante B et al. (2015). Non-planar on-shell diagrams. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/jhep06(2015)199

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• He S, Huang YT, Wen C (2014). Loop corrections to soft theorems in gauge theories and gravity. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP12(2014)115

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/36715
• Huang YT, Wen C, Xie D (2014). The positive orthogonal Grassmannian and loop amplitudes of ABJM. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1088/1751-8113/47/47/474008

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Garner D, Ramgoolam S, Wen C (publicationYear). Thresholds of Large N Factorization in CFT4 : Exploring bulk spacetime in AdS5. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP11(2014)076

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/12419
• Brandhuber A, Penante B, Travaglini G et al. (2014). The last of the simple remainders. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP08(2014)100

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/7646
• Brandhuber A, Penante B, Travaglini G et al. (2014). The last of the simple remainders. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1406.1443

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Bianchi M, Brandhuber A, Travaglini G et al. (2014). Simplifying instanton corrections to N=4 SYM correlators. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP04(2014)101

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/7648
• Penante B, Spence B, Travaglini G et al. (2014). On super form factors of half-BPS operators in N=4 super Yang-Mills. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP04(2014)083

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/7643
• Garner D, Ramgoolam S, Wen C (2014). Thresholds of Large N Factorization in CFT4 : Exploring bulk spacetime in AdS5. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1403.5281

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Huang YT, Wen C (2014). ABJM amplitudes and the positive orthogonal Grassmannian. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP02(2014)104

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/39664
• Penante B, Spence B, Travaglini G et al. (2014). On super form factors of half-BPS operators in N=4 super Yang-Mills. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1402.1300

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Bianchi M, Brandhuber A, Travaglini G et al. (2013). Simplifying instanton corrections to N=4 SYM correlators. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1312.3916

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• de Mello Koch R, Ramgoolam S, Wen C (2013). On the refined counting of graphs on surfaces. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1016/j.nuclphysb.2013.01.023

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Brandhuber A, Travaglini G, Wen C (2012). All one-loop amplitudes in N=6 superconformal Chern-Simons theory. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP10(2012)145

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/4120
• Koch RDM, Ramgoolam S, Wen C (2012). On the refined counting of graphs on surfaces. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1209.0334

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Brandhuber A, Travaglini G, Wen C (2012). All one-loop amplitudes in N=6 superconformal Chern-Simons theory. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1207.6908

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Brandhuber A, Travaglini G, Wen C (2012). A note on amplitudes in N=6 superconformal Chern-Simons theory. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/JHEP07(2012)160

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/3764
• Brandhuber A, Travaglini G, Wen C (2012). A note on amplitudes in N=6 superconformal Chern-Simons theory. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1205.6705

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Nandan D, Volovich A, Wen C (2012). On Feynman rules for Mellin amplitudes in AdS/CFT. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/jhep05(2012)129

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref

Supervision