Tree-level splitting amplitudes for a gluon into four collinear partons

Abstract

We compute in conventional dimensional regularisation the tree-level splitting amplitudes for a gluon parent which splits into four collinear partons. This is part of the universal infrared behaviour of the QCD scattering amplitudes at next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N3LO) in the strong coupling constant. Combined with our earlier results for a quark parent, this completes the set of tree-level splitting amplitudes required at this order. We also study iterated collinear limits where a subset of the four collinear partons become themselves collinear.