Flattening of the EFT-Hedron: Supersymmetric Positivity Bounds and the Search for String Theory

Abstract: We examine universal positivity constraints on $2 \to 2$ scattering in 4d planar $N=4$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory with higher-derivative corrections. We present numerical evidence that the convex region of allowed Wilson coefficients (the ``EFT-hedron'') flattens completely along about one-third of its dimensions when an increasing number of constraints on the spectral density from crossing-symmetry are included. Our analysis relies on the formulation of the positivity constraints as a linear optimization problem, which we implement using two numerical solvers, SDPB and CPLEX. Motivated by the flattening, we propose a novel partially resummed low-energy expansion of the $2 \to 2$ amplitude. As part of the analysis, we provide additional evidence in favor of the conjecture [1] that the Veneziano amplitude is the only amplitude compatible with both S-matrix bootstrap constraints and string monodromy.