Ultraviolet Behavior of N=8 Supergravity

Abstract

In these lectures I describe the remarkable ultraviolet behavior of N=8 supergravity, which through four loops is no worse than that of N=4 super-Yang-Mills theory (a finite theory). I also explain the computational tools that allow multi-loop amplitudes to be evaluated in this theory - the KLT relations and the unitarity method - and sketch how ultraviolet divergences are extracted from the amplitudes.

Comments: 30 pages, 12 figures; lectures presented at International School of Subnuclear Physics, 47th Course, Erice Sicily, August 29-September 7, 2009