Spherical Contours, IR Divergences and the geometry of Feynman parameter integrands at one loop

Abstract: Spherical contours introduced in \cite{SphericalContours} translate the concept of "discontinuity across a branch cut" to Feynman parameter space. In this paper, we further explore spherical contours and connect them to the computation of leading IR divergences of 1 loop graphs directly in Feynman parameter space. These spherical contours can be used to develop a Feynman parameter space analog of "Leading Singularities" of loop integrands which allows us to develop a method of determining Feynman parameter integrands with no reference to the momentum space loop integrand. Finally, we explore some interesting features of Feynman parameter integrands in $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM.