The S-matrix Bootstrap Reloaded

Quantum field theories (QFTs) are the backbone upon which the edifice of modern physics is built. In this thesis we explore the S-matrix bootstrap which is a non-perturbative method that constrains the vast space of QFTs by using consistency conditions that they must satisfy. The thesis is divided into two parts. In part I of the thesis we study the S-matrix bootstrap for particles with spin in 4 spacetime dimensions and apply the formalism to scattering of identical Majorana fermions to estimate bounds on their quartic couplings and their cubic (Yukawa) coupling to scalar particles. In part II of the thesis, we consider the scattering of massless (Goldstone) excitations on a long flux tube. We use the S-matrix bootstrap to constrain Wilson coefficients of higher dimension operators in the low energy flux tube effective field theory. These constraints naturally translate to bounds on the ground state and excited state energy levels of long flux tubes. The techniques used in this thesis should be extendable to many other systems, both massive and massless. We conclude by discussing some of these possibilities.