Axodraw Guia

AXODRAW
J.A.M.Vermaseren1
NIKHEF-H
P.O. Box 41882
1009 DB Amsterdam
Abstract
Axodraw is a set of drawing primitives for use in LATEX. These
can be used for the drawing of Feynman diagrams, flow charts and
simple graphics. Because it uses postscript for its drawing commands
it works only in combination with the dvips of Radical Eye Software
which is presently the most popular dvips program. More will be
added in the future. It allows whole articles including their pictures to
be contained in a single file, thereby making it easier to exchange the
article file by e-mail. The current version2 supports color according to
the scheme implemented in the file colordvi.sty which comes with most
TEX distributions.
1
This is the file test2.tex
2
An earlier version of Axodraw was published in Comp. Phys. Comm. 83 (1994) 45.
1
1 Using Axodraw
The file axodraw.sty is a style file for LATEX. It should be included in the
documentstyle statement at the beginning of the document. An example
would be:
\documentstyle[a4,11pt,axodraw]{article}
Because axodraw.sty reads also the epsf.sty file that comes with many im-
plementations of TEX and in particular those that rely on the dvips program
by Radical Eye Software for the printing, this file should be present in the
system. If this file is not available one should obtain it from another sys-
tem. The file colordvi.sty is also read, but if it is not present there will
be no error. The user should just not use color in that case. The author
feels in no way responsible for the problems that may occur when a different
dvi-to-postscript program is used.
The drawing is actually done in postscript. Because the above men-
tioned dvi-to-postscript converter allows the inclusion of postscript code the
graphics primitives have been included in the file axodraw.sty in terms of
postscript. If another postscript converter is used, one may have to adapt
the syntax of the inclusion of this code to the local system.
The commands of Axodraw should be executed inside either the picture
or the figure environment. Inside this environment it is possible to place
objects at arbitrary positions and put text between them. In principle one
could try to draw objects with the facilities of LATEX itself, but it turns
out that the commands in the picture environment are not very powerful.
Axodraw gives good extensions of them. An example would be
\begin{center} \begin{picture}(300,100)(0,0)
\SetColor{Red}
\GlueArc(150,50)(40,0,180){5}{8}
\SetColor{Green}
\GlueArc(150,50)(40,180,360){5}{8}
\SetColor{Blue}
\Gluon(50,50)(110,50){5}{4} \Vertex(110,50){2}
\Gluon(190,50)(250,50){5}{4} \Vertex(190,50){2}
\end{picture} \\ {\sl A gluon loop diagram} \end{center}
This code would result in:
2
A gluon loop diagram
The syntax and the meaning of these command are explained in the next sec-
tion. One should note that all coordinates are presented in units of 1 point.
There are 72 points in an inch. It is possible to use scale transformations if
these units are not convenient.
Currently the primitives are mainly useful for the drawing of Feynman
diagrams and the drawing of flowcharts. This means that the commands
were designed to draw a number of these graphs. Of course many more
things can be drawn with them, like scatter plots, histograms etc.
The current manual uses only those color commands that are safe on
systems that do not have the required colordvi.sty file. It should however
be clear from the examples how to use the other features. To allow the
creation of complicated color commands that will work also in the absence
of the colordvi.sty file there is a macro IfColor which is described below with
the other commands.
2 The commands
The commands that are currently available in Axodraw are (in alphabetic
order):
• \ArrowArc(x,y)(r,φ1 ,φ2 )
Draws an arc segment centered around (x,y). The radius is r. The
arc-segment runs counterclockwise from φ1 to φ2 . All angles are given
in degrees. In the middle of the segment there will be an arrow.
• \ArrowArcn(x,y)(radius,φ1 ,φ2 )
Draws an arc segment centered around (x,y). The radius is r. The arc-
segment runs clockwise from φ1 to φ2 . All angles are given in degrees.
In the middle of the segment there will be an arrow.
• \ArrowLine(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 )
Draws a line from (x1 ,y1 ) to (x2 ,y2 ). There will be an arrow in the
middle of the line.
• \BBox(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 )
Draws a box of which the contents are blanked out. This means that
anything that was present at the position of the box will be overwrit-
ten. The lower left corner of the box is at (x1 ,y1 ) and (x2 ,y2 ) is the
upper right corner of the box.
• \BBoxc(x,y)(width,height)
ten. The center of the box is at (x,y). Width and height refer to the
full width and the full height of the box.
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• \BCirc(x,y){r}
Draws a circle of which the contents are blanked out. This means
that anything that was present at the position of the circle will be
overwritten. The center of the circle is at (x,y). r is its radius.
• \Boxc(x,y)(width,height)
Draws a box. The center of the box is at (x,y). Width and height
refer to the full width and the full height of the box.
• \BText(x,y){text}
Draws a box with one line of centered postscript text in it. The box
is just big enough to fit around the text. The coordinates refer to
the center of the box. The box is like a BBox in that it blanks out
whatever was at the position of the box.
• \B2Text(x,y){text1}{text2}
Draws a box with two lines of centered postscript text in it. The box
the center of the box. The box is like a BBox in that it blanks out
• \BTri(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 )(x3 ,y3 )

Draws a triangle of which the contents are blanked out. This means
that anything that was present at the position of the box will be over-
written. The corners of the triangle are at (x1 ,y1 ), (x2 ,y2 ) and (x3 ,y3 )
• \CArc(x,y)(radius,φ1 ,φ2 )
in degrees.
• \CBox(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 ){color1}{color2}

Draws a box. The lower left corner of the box is at (x1 ,y1 ) and (x2 ,y2 )
is the upper right corner of the box. The contents of the box are lost.
The color of the box will be color1 and the color of the background
inside the box will be color2.
• \CBoxc(x,y)(width,height){color1}{color2}
ten. The center of the box is at (x,y). Width and height refer to the
full width and the full height of the box. The color of the box will be
color1 and the color of the background inside the box will be color2.
• \CCirc(x,y){radius}{color1}{color2}
Draws a circle around (x,y) with radius r. The contents of the circle
4
are lost. The color of the circle will be color1 and the color of the
background inside the circle will be color2.
• \COval(x,y)(h,w)(φ){color1}{color2}
Draws an oval with an internal color indicated by color2. The oval
itself has the color color1. The center of the oval is given by (x,y). Its
height is h, and the width is w. In addition the oval can be rotated
counterclockwise over φ degrees. The oval overwrites anything that
used to be in its position.
• \CText(x,y){color1}{color2}{text}
Draws a box with one line of centered postscript text in it. The box
the center of the box. The box is like a CBox in that it blanks out
whatever was at the position of the box. The color of the box and the
text inside is color1 and the background inside has the color color2.
• \C2Text(x,y){color1}{color2}{text1}{text2}
Draws a box with two lines of centered postscript text in it. The box
the center of the box. The box is like a CBox in that it blanks out
whatever was at the position of the box. The color of the box and the
text inside is color1 and the background inside has the color color2.
• \CTri(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 )(x3 ,y3 ){color1}{color2}

Draws a triangle. The corners are at (x1 ,y1 ), (x2 ,y2 ) and (x3 ,y3 ). The
contents of the triangle are lost. The color of the triangle will be color1
and the color of the background inside the triangle will be color2.
• \Curve{(x1 , y1 )(x2 , y2 ) · · · (xn , yn )}

Draws a curve through the given points. The x-values are supposed
to be in ascending order. The curve is a combination of quadratic
and third order segments and is continuous in its first and second
derivatives.
• \DashArrowArc(x,y)(r,φ1 ,φ2 ){dashsize}

Draws a dashed arc segment centered around (x,y). The radius is r.
The arc-segment runs counterclockwise from φ1 to φ2 . All angles are
given in degrees. In the middle of the segment there will be an arrow.
The size of the dashes is approximately equal to ‘dashsize’.
• \DashArrowArcn(x,y)(radius,φ1 ,φ2 ){dashsize}

The arc-segment runs clockwise from φ1 to φ2 . All angles are given in
degrees. In the middle of the segment there will be an arrow. The size
of the dashes is approximately equal to ‘dashsize’.
5
• \DashArrowLine(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 ){dashsize}
Draws a line from (x1 ,y1 ) to (x2 ,y2 ) with a dashed pattern. The size of
the black parts of the pattern is given by ‘dashsize’. The alternating
pieces have equal length. The size of the pattern is adjusted so that
both the begin and the end are black. Halfway the line there is an
arrow.
• \DashCArc(x,y)(radius,φ1 ,φ2 ){dashsize}

The arc-segment runs counterclockwise from φ1 to φ2 . All angles are
given in degrees. The size of the dashes is determined by ‘dashsize’.
This size is adjusted somewhat to make the result look nice.
• \DashCurve{(x1 , y1 )(x2 , y2 ) · · · (xn , yn )}{ dashsize}

Draws a dashed curve through the given points. The x-values are
supposed to be in ascending order. The curve is a combination of
quadratic and third order segments. The size of the black parts and the
white parts will be approximately ‘dashsize’ each. Some adjustment
takes place to make the pattern come out right at the endpoints.
• \DashLine(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 ){dashsize}

Draws a line from (x1 ,y1 ) to (x2 ,y2 ) with a dashed pattern. The size of
the black parts of the pattern is given by ‘dashsize’. The alternating
pieces have equal length. The size of the pattern is adjusted so that
both the begin and the end are black.
• \EBox(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 )

is the upper right corner of the box.
• \ETri(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 )(x3 ,y3 )

Draws a triangle. The corners are at (x1 ,y1 ), (x2 ,y2 ) and (x3 ,y3 ).
• \IfColor{arg1}{arg2}
If the file colordvi.sty is present the first argument will be executed.
If this file is not present the second argument will be executed. For
examples, see some of the figures. This command can also be used in
the regular text of the LATEX file.
• \GBox(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 ){grayscale}

is the upper right corner of the box. The contents of the box are
lost. They are overwritten with a color gray that is indicated by the
parameter ‘grayscale’. This parameter can have values ranging from 0
(black) to 1 (white).
6
• \GBoxc(x,y)(width,height){grayscale}
Draws a box. The center of the box is at (x,y). Width and height refer
to the full width and the full height of the box. The contents of the
box are lost. They are overwritten with a color gray that is indicated
by the parameter ‘grayscale’. This parameter can have values ranging
from 0 (black) to 1 (white).
• \GCirc(x,y){radius}{grayscale}
Draws a circle around (x,y) with radius r. The contents of the circle
are lost. They are overwritten with a color gray that is indicated by
the parameter ‘grayscale’. This parameter can have values ranging
from 0 (black) to 1 (white).
• \GlueArc(x,y)(r,φ1 ,φ2 ){amplitude}{windings}

Draws a gluon on an arc-segment. The center of the arc is (x,y) and r is
its radius. The arc segment runs counterclockwise from φ1 to φ2 . The
width of the gluon is twice ‘amplitude’, and the number of windings
is given by the last parameter. Note that whether the curls are inside
or outside can be influenced with the sign of the amplitude. When it
is positive the curls are on the inside.
• \Gluon(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 ){amplitude}{windings}

Draws a gluon from (x1 ,y1 ) to (x2 ,y2 ). The width of the gluon will be
twice the value of ‘amplitude’. The number of windings is given by the
last parameter. If this parameter is not an integer it will be rounded
to an integer value. The side at which the windings lie is determined
by the order of the two coordinates. Also a negative amplitude can
change this side.
• \GOval(x,y)(h,w)(φ){grayscale} Draws an oval with an internal color

indicated by grayscale. This parameter can have values ranging from
0 (black) to 1 (white). The center of the oval is given by (x,y). Its
height is h, and the width is w. In addition the oval can be rotated
counterclockwise over φ degrees. The oval overwrites anything that
used to be in its position.
• \GText(x,y){grayscale}{text}
Draws a gray box with one line of centered postscript text in it. The
box is just big enough to fit around the text. The coordinates refer
to the center of the box. The box is like a BBox in that it blanks out
• \G2Text(x,y){grayscale}{text1}{text2}
Draws a gray box with two lines of centered postscript text in it. The
box is just big enough to fit around the text. The coordinates refer
7
to the center of the box. The box is like a BBox in that it blanks out
• \GTri(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 )(x3 ,y3 ){grayscale}
Draws a triangle. The corners are at (x1 ,y1 ), (x2 ,y2 ) and (x3 ,y3 ). The
contents of the triangle are lost. They are overwritten with a color
gray that is indicated by the parameter ‘grayscale’. This parameter
can have values ranging from 0 (black) to 1 (white).
• \LinAxis(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 )(ND ,d,hashsize ,offset,width)
This draws a line to be used as an axis in a graph. Along the axis
are hash marks. Going from the first coordinate to the second, the
hash marks are on the left side if ‘hashsize’, which is the size of the
hash marks, is positive and on the right side if it is negative. ND is
the number of ‘decades’, indicated by fat hash marks, and d is the
number of subdivisions inside each decade. The offset parameter tells
to which subdivision the first coordinate corresponds. When it is zero,
this coordinate corresponds to a fat mark of a decade. Because axes
have their own width, this is indicated with the last parameter.
• \Line(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 )
Draws a line from (x1 ,y1 ) to (x2 ,y2 ).
• \LogAxis(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 )(NL ,hashsize ,offset,width)
This draws a line to be used as an axis in a graph. Along the axis
are hash marks. Going from the first coordinate to the second, the
hash marks are on the left side if ‘hashsize’, which is the size of the
hash marks, is positive and on the right side if it is negative. NL is
the number of orders of magnitude, indicated by fat hash marks. The
offset parameter tells to which integer subdivision the first coordinate
corresponds. When it is zero, this coordinate corresponds to a fat
mark, which is identical to when the value would have been 1. Because
axes have their own width, this is indicated with the last parameter.
• \LongArrow(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 )
Draws a line from (x1 ,y1 ) to (x2 ,y2 ). There will be an arrow at the
end of the line.
• \LongArrowArc(x,y)(r,φ1 ,φ2 )
in degrees. At the end of the segment there will be an arrow.
• \LongArrowArcn(x,y)(radius,φ1 ,φ2 )
Draws an arc segment centered around (x,y). The radius is r. The arc-
segment runs clockwise from φ1 to φ2 . All angles are given in degrees.
At the end of the segment there will be an arrow.
8
• \Oval(x,y)(h,w)(φ) Draws an oval. The center of the oval is given by
(x,y). Its height is h, and the width is w. In addition the oval can be
rotated counterclockwise over φ degrees. The oval does not overwrite
its contents.
• \Photon(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 ){amplitude}{wiggles}

Draws a photon from (x1 ,y1 ) to (x2 ,y2 ). The width of the photon will
be twice the value of ‘amplitude’. The number of wiggles is given by
the last parameter. If twice this parameter is not an integer it will
be rounded to an integer value. Whether the first wiggle starts up or
down can be influenced with the sign of the amplitude.
• \PhotonArc(x,y)(r,φ1 ,φ2 ){amplitude}{wiggles}

Draws a photon on an arc-segment. The center of the arc is (x,y)
and r is its radius. The arc segment runs counterclockwise from φ1 to
φ2 . The width of the photon is twice ‘amplitude’, and the number of
wiggles is given by the last parameter. Note that the sign of the am-
plitude influences whether the photon starts going outside (positive)
or starts going inside (negative). If one likes the photon to reach both
endpoints from the outside the number of wiggles should be an integer
plus 0.5.
• \PText(x,y)(φ)[mode]{text}
Places a postscript text. The focal point is (x,y). The text is the
last parameter. The mode parameter tells how the text should be
positioned with respect to the focal point. If this parameter is omitted
the center of the text will correspond to the focal point. Other options
are: l for having the left side correspond to the focal point, r for having
the right side correspond to it, t for having the top at the focal point
and b for the bottom. One may combine two letters as in [bl], as long
as it makes sense. The parameter φ is a rotation angle. The text is
written in the current postscript font. This font can be set with the
SetPFont command.
• \rText(x,y)[mode][rotation]{text}
Places a rotated text. The focal point is (x,y). The text is the last
parameter. If the rotation parameter is the character l the text will
be rotated left by 90 degrees, if it is an r it will be rotated to the right
by 90 degrees and when it is the character u the text will be rotated
by 180 degrees. When there is no character there is no rotation and
the command is identical to the Text command. The mode parameter
tells how the resulting box should be positioned with respect to the
focal point. If this parameter is omitted the center of the box will
correspond to the focal point. Other options are: l for having the
left side correspond to the focal point, r for having the right side
9
correspond to it, t for having the top at the focal point and b for the
bottom. One may combine two letters as in [bl], as long as it makes
sense.
• \SetColor{NameOfColor}
Sets the color for the next commands. This command onlt affects the
current picture. In addition it does not affect the text commands that
write in TEX mode. Also the commands that draw gray boxes are not
affected. For influencing the color of the TEX or LATEX output one can
use the commands mentioned in the colordvi.sty file.
• \SetPFont{fontname}{fontsize}
Sets the postscript font to a given type and scale.
• \SetScale{scalevalue}
Changes the scale of all graphics operations. Unfortunately it does
not change the scale of the text operations (yet?). A ‘scalevalue’ of 1
is the default. It is allowed to use floating point values.
• \SetOffset(x offset,y offset)

Adds the offset values to all coordinates at the TEX level. This makes
it easier to move figures around.
• \SetScaledOffset(x offset,y offset)

Adds the offset values to all coordinates at the postscript level. This
is done after scaling has been applied. Hence one can work with the
scaled coordinates. This can be very handy when drawing curves.
• \SetWidth{widthvalue}
Changes the linewidth in all graphics operations. It does not change
the linewidth of the text operations. That is a matter of font selection.
A ‘widthvalue’ of 0.5 is the default. It is allowed to use floating point
values.
• \Text(x,y)[mode]{text}
Places a text. The focal point is (x,y). The text is the last parameter.
The mode parameter tells how the text should be positioned with
respect to the focal point. If this parameter is omitted the center of
the text will correspond to the focal point. Other options are: l for
having the left side correspond to the focal point, r for having the
right side correspond to it, t for having the top at the focal point and
b for the bottom. One may combine two letters as in [bl], as long as
it makes sense.
• \Vertex(x,y){r}
Draws a fat dot at (x,y). The radius of the dot is given by r.
10
• \ZigZag(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 ){amplitude}{wiggles}
Draws a zigzag line from (x1 ,y1 ) to (x2 ,y2 ). The width of the zigzag-
ging will be twice the value of ‘amplitude’. The number of zigzags is
given by the last parameter. If twice this parameter is not an integer
it will be rounded to an integer value. Whether the first zigzag starts
up or down can be influenced with the sign of the amplitude.
A note about color. The names of the colors can be found in the local
file colordvi.sty or colordvi.tex. This file gives also the commands that allow
the user to change the color of the text.
3 Examples
Although the previous section contains all the commands and their proper
syntax a few examples may be helpful.
3.1 Text modes

The meaning of the mode characters in the text commands can best be
demonstrated. The statements
\SetColor{BrickRed}
\CArc(50,75)(2,0,360) \Text(50,75)[lt]{left-top}
\CArc(50,50)(2,0,360) \Text(50,50)[l]{left-center}
\CArc(50,25)(2,0,360) \Text(50,25)[lb]{left-bottom}
\CArc(150,75)(2,0,360) \Text(150,75)[t]{center-top}
\CArc(150,50)(2,0,360) \Text(150,50)[]{center-center}
\CArc(150,25)(2,0,360) \Text(150,25)[b]{center-bottom}
\CArc(250,75)(2,0,360) \Text(250,75)[rt]{right-top}
\CArc(250,50)(2,0,360) \Text(250,50)[r]{right-center}
\CArc(250,25)(2,0,360) \Text(250,25)[rb]{right-bottom}
\end{picture} \end{center}
produce 9 texts and for each the focal point is indicated by a little circle. It
looks like
left-top center-top right-top

left-center center-center right-center
left-bottom center-bottom right-bottom
11
This illustrates exactly all the combinations of the mode characters and what
their effects are. The commands \Text and \rText give a text according to
LATEX. This text is insensitive to the scaling commands, and the color of the
text should be set with the regular color commands given in colordvi.sty.
The text in the \PText command (and the various boxes with text) is a
postscript text. Such text is sensitive to the scaling commands and in addi-
tion the color is set with the \SetColor command or in the command itself
(in the case of the boxes). In the case of LATEX text it can of course contain
different fonts, math mode and all those little things that are usually easier
in LATEX than in postscript.
3.2 The windings of a gluon

Gluons are traditionally represented by a two dimensional projection of a
helix. Actually close inspection of some pretty gluons reveals that it is
usually not quite a helix. Hence the gluons in Axodraw are also not quite
helices. In addition one may notice that the begin and end points deviate
slightly from the regular windings. This makes it more in agreement with
hand drawn gluons. When a gluon is drawn, one needs not only its begin
and end points but there is an amplitude connected to this almost helix, and
in addition there are windings. The number of windings is the number of
curls that the gluon will have. Different people may prefer different densities
of curls. This can effect the appearance considerably:
\begin{center}
\begin{picture}(330,100)(0,0)
\SetColor{Red}
\Gluon(25,15)(25,95){5}{4} \Text(25,7)[]{4 windings}
\end{picture}
\end{center}
This code results in:
4 windings 5 windings 6 windings 7 windings 8 windings
12
The influence of the amplitude is also rather great. The user should exper-
iment with it. There is however an aspect to the amplitude that should be
discussed. For a straight gluon the amplitude can determine on which side
the curls are. So does the direction of the gluon:
\begin{center}
\SetColor{Red}
\Gluon(50,15)(50,95){5}{6}
\Text(50,7)[]{amp $> 0$} \Text(40,50)[]{$\uparrow$}
\Gluon(125,95)(125,15){5}{6}
\Text(125,7)[]{amp $> 0$} \Text(115,50)[]{$\downarrow$}
\Gluon(200,15)(200,95){-5}{6}
\Text(200,7)[]{amp $< 0$} \Text(190,50)[]{$\uparrow$}
\Gluon(275,95)(275,15){-5}{6}
\Text(275,7)[]{amp $< 0$} \Text(265,50)[]{$\downarrow$}
\end{picture}
\end{center}
The picture gets the following appearance:
↑ ↓ ↑ ↓
amp > 0 amp > 0 amp < 0 amp < 0
For straight gluons one does not need the option of the negative amplitude.
It is however necessary for gluons on an arc segment. In that case the arc is
always drawn in an anticlockwise direction. Hence the direction is fixed and
only the amplitude is left as a tool for determining the side with the curls.
3.3 Scaling
Sometimes it is much easier to design a figure on a larger scale than it is
needed in the eventual printing. In that case one can use a scale factor,
either during the design or in the final result. We use the figure in the first
section as an example:
\vspace{-10pt} \hfill \\
\SetScale{0.3}
\SetColor{Red}
13
\GlueArc(120,50)(40,0,180){5}{8}
\SetColor{Green}
\GlueArc(120,50)(40,180,360){5}{8}
\SetColor{Blue}
\Gluon(20,50)(80,50){5}{4} \Vertex(80,50){2}
\Gluon(160,50)(220,50){5}{4} \Vertex(160,50){2}
\end{picture} $+$ others
$ = C_A(\frac{5}{3}+\frac{31}{9}\epsilon)
+ n_F(-\frac{2}{3}-\frac{10}{9}\epsilon)$
\vspace{10pt} \hfill \\
We have lowered the figure by 13 points (the (0,13) in the picture statement)
to make it look nice with respect to the equal sign. The result is
+ others = CA ( 35 + 31
9 ǫ) + nF (− 32 − 10
9 ǫ)
This way it is rather straightforward to make whole pictorial equations. Of

course some things are not scale invariant. The appreciation of a figure may
be somewhat different when the scale is changed. In the above case one
might consider changing the amplitude of the gluons a little bit. Changing
this from 5 to 7 and at the same time reducing the number of windings from
4 to 3 for the straight gluons and from 8 to 7 for the gluons in the arcs gives
+ others = CA ( 35 + 31
9 ǫ) + nF (− 32 − 10
9 ǫ)
At this scale this may please the eye more.

There is one problem with scaling. Currently it is only possible to have
text scale with the rest of a figure when the text has been printed with the
PText command. This makes the typesetting more complicated, but the
scaling of the TEX pixel fonts would give rather poor results anyway.
3.4 Photons
When drawing photons one should take care that the number of wiggles is
selected properly. Very often this number should be an integer plus 0.5.
This can be seen in the following example:
\begin{center}\begin{picture}(300,56)(0,0)
\Vertex(180,10){1.5} \Vertex(120,10){1.5}
\SetColor{Red}
\ArrowLine(100,10)(200,10)
\SetColor{Green}
\LongArrowArc(150,10)(20,60,120)
\SetColor{Brown}
\PhotonArc(150,10)(30,0,180){4}{8.5} % 8.5 wiggles
14
This gives the ‘proper’ picture as it would usually drawn by hand:
When the number of wiggles is reduced to 8 we obtain:
This is not as nice. Somehow the symmetry is violated. One should also
take care that the wiggles start in the proper way. If we make the amplitude
negative we see that the photons are not ‘right’ either:
Sometimes these things require some experimenting.
3.5 Flowcharts
There are several commands for creating boxes with text in them. This can
be a box with either one line of text or with two lines of text. The rest
is just a matter of drawing lines and circle segments with arrows. If the
text is to scale with the picture one needs to use the postscript fonts. The
result of scaling the TEX fonts is usually rather ugly, because these fonts are
pixel fonts. Here we present an example. It might describe a system for the
automatic computation of cross-sections:
\SetPFont{Helvetica}{10}
\SetScale{0.8}
\SetColor{Magenta}
\ArrowLine(200,40)(200,10) \ArrowLine(200,100)(200,40)
15
\ArrowArc(200,247.5)(62.5,90,180)
\ArrowArc(200,247.5)(62.5,180,270)
\ArrowLine(300,360)(340,340) \ArrowArcn(205,347.5)(37.5,90,270)
\SetColor{Blue}
\BCirc(200,100){10} \BCirc(200,100){5}
\BCirc(200,40){7.5} \BCirc(200,250){10}
\BCirc(200,250){5} \BCirc(200,310){7.5}
\BCirc(180,360){7.5} \BCirc(80,300){7.5}
\BCirc(300,360){7.5}
\IfColor{\CCirc(200,185){7.5}{Blue}{Yellow}
}{\GCirc(200,185){7.5}{0.9}}
\SetColor{Red}
\BText(200,285){Form program} \BText(200,335){Diagrams}
\BText(200,385){Model} \BText(200,10){events}
\BText(80,95){Axolib} \BText(350,335){Pictures}
\IfColor{\CText(137.5,247.5){Blue}{Yellow}{instructions}
}{\GText(137.5,247.5){0.9}{instructions}}
\B2Text(260,70){Cross-sections}{Histograms}
\B2Text(140,75){Monte Carlo}{Routine}
\B2Text(275,105){FF}{1 loop integrals}
\IfColor{\C2Text(260,135){Blue}{Yellow}{Spiderlib}{Fortran/C}
}{\G2Text(260,135){0.9}{Spiderlib}{Fortran/C}}
\IfColor{\C2Text(200,150){Blue}{Yellow}{Matrix}{Element}
}{\G2Text(200,150){0.9}{Matrix}{Element}}
\B2Text(80,130){Kinematics}{Configuration}
\IfColor{\C2Text(200,220){Blue}{Yellow}{Output}{Formula}
}{\G2Text(200,220){0.9}{Output}{Formula}}
\IfColor{\C2Text(260,263){Blue}{Yellow}{Spiderlib}{Form part}
}{\G2Text(260,263){0.9}{Spiderlib}{Form part}}
\IfColor{\C2Text(260,237){Blue}{Yellow}{FF support}{library}
}{\G2Text(260,237){0.9}{FF support}{library}}
\B2Text(40,370){Reaction}{selection}
\B2Text(40,340){Specification}{Cuts, etc.}
\SetColor{Orange}
\PText(211,36)(0)[lb]{Event Generator}
\PText(211,181)(0)[lb]{Code Generator}
16
\PText(162,258)(0)[lb]{FORM}
\PText(211,301)(0)[lb]{Form program construction}
\PText(191,362)(0)[lb]{Diagram}
\PText(191,352)(0)[lb]{Generator}
\PText(311,370)(0)[lb]{Postscript}
\PText(91,292)(0)[lb]{Kinematics}
This gives the chart
Model
Reaction Postscript
selection Diagram Generator
Generator
Specification
Cuts, etc. Diagrams Pictures
Form program construction

Kinematics
Generator Form program
Spiderlib
FORM Form part
instructions
FF support
library
Output
Formula
Code Generator
Matrix
Element Spiderlib
Kinematics Fortran/C
Configuration
FF
1 loop integrals
Axolib
Monte Carlo Cross-sections
Routine Histograms
Event Generator
events
3.6 Curves and graphs

Axodraw is equipped with a curve fitting facility that can draw smooth
curves through a set of coordinates. Coupled to this is a set of commands to
draw the axes that are typically needed for the use of graphs and histograms.
An example of a complete picture would be
\SetOffset(40,30)
17
\LinAxis(0,0)(300,0)(3,10,5,0,1.5)
\LinAxis(0,400)(300,400)(3,10,-5,0,1.5)
\LogAxis(0,0)(0,400)(4,-5,2,1.5)
\LogAxis(300,0)(300,400)(4,5,2,1.5)
\SetScale{100.} \SetWidth{0.005}
\SetColor{Blue}
\Curve{(.1057001,1.2997)(.1057003,1.5399)
(.1057006,1.6908)(.1057010,1.8019)(.1057030,2.0406)
(.1057060,2.1911)(.1057100,2.3020)(.1057300,2.5403)
(.1057600,2.6904)(.1058000,2.8007)(.1060000,3.0365)
(.1080000,3.4512)(.1100000,3.5600)(.1200000,3.6950)
(.1300000,3.6969)(.1500000,3.6308)(.1800000,3.5024)
(.2200000,3.3413)(.3000000,3.0788)(.5000000,2.6374)
(.8000000,2.2295)(1.0000000,2.0357)(1.3000000
,1.8078)(1.6000000,1.6275)(2.0000000,1.4336)
(2.5000000,1.2398)(3.0000000,1.0815)}
\SetColor{Red}
\DashCurve{(1.7853600,.0111)(1.7853800,.0228)
(1.7854000,.0339)(1.7856000,.1218)(1.7860000,.2324)
(1.7870000,.3821)(1.7900000,.5786)(1.8000000,.8089)
(1.8200000,.9765)(1.8500000,1.0869)(1.9000000
,1.1718)(2.0000000,1.2335)(2.1000000,1.2468)
(2.2000000,1.2413)(2.4000000,1.2064)
(2.7000000,1.1340)(3.0000000,1.0574)}{0.05}
\SetScale{1.}\SetWidth{0.5}
\SetColor{Blue}
\Line(200,360)(270,360)
\Text(195,360)[r]{\large$e^+e^-\rightarrow\mu^+\mu^-$}
\SetColor{Red}
\DashLine(200,330)(270,330){5}
\Text(195,330)[r]{\large$e^+e^-\rightarrow\tau^+\tau^-$}
\SetColor{Black}
\Text(0,-10)[]{0} \Text(100,-10)[]{1}
\Text(200,-10)[]{2} \Text(300,-10)[]{3}
\Text(150,-25)[]{\large Beam energy in GeV}
\Text(-10,70)[]{$1$} \Text(-10,170)[]{$10$}
\Text(-10,270)[]{$10^2$} \Text(-10,370)[]{$10^3$}
\rText(-25,220)[][l]{\Large$\sigma$ in nb}
\ArrowLine(190,270)(160,300)
\ArrowLine(160,240)(190,270)
\ArrowLine(270,300)(240,270)
\ArrowLine(240,270)(270,240)
\Photon(190,270)(240,270){4}{4.5}
\Vertex(190,270){1.5} \Vertex(240,270){1.5}
18
\end{picture} \\ {\sl \hskip 10 pt Threshold
effects for $\mu$ and $\tau$} \end{center}
and the resulting picture would be
103
e+ e− → µ+ µ−
e+ e− → τ + τ −
102
σ in nb
10
0 1 2 3
Beam energy in GeV
Threshold effects for µ and τ
Of course one can scale these pictures further, but because the scale factor
has been used to enter the data points these should then be adapted too.
Note that when the scale is blown up by a factor 100, the linewidth has to
be scaled down or disasters will take place.
Finally a playful example:
19
\begin{center}\begin{picture}(300,56)(0,0)
\SetColor{Blue}
\Line(100,25)(150,25)
\SetColor{Green}
\Gluon(150,25)(200,25){3}{6}
\SetColor{Red}
\Photon(150,35)(200,45){3}{6}
\SetColor{Mahogany}
\ZigZag(150,15)(200,5){3}{6}
\IfColor{\COval(150,25)(20,10)(0){Black}{Yellow}
}{\GOval(150,25)(20,10)(0){0.5}}
which results in
Acknowledgement: The author wishes to thank G.J.van Oldenborgh for

help with some of the TEX macros.
Axodraw can be obtained from the FORM homepage:
http://nikhef.nl/∼form. Commentary and suggestions should be sent to the
author at t68@nikhef.nl.
20

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AXODRAW

• \BTri(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 )(x3 ,y3 )

• \CBox(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 ){color1}{color2}

• \CTri(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 )(x3 ,y3 ){color1}{color2}

• \Curve{(x1 , y1 )(x2 , y2 ) · · · (xn , yn )}

• \DashArrowArc(x,y)(r,φ1 ,φ2 ){dashsize}

• \DashArrowArcn(x,y)(radius,φ1 ,φ2 ){dashsize}

• \DashCArc(x,y)(radius,φ1 ,φ2 ){dashsize}

• \DashCurve{(x1 , y1 )(x2 , y2 ) · · · (xn , yn )}{ dashsize}

• \DashLine(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 ){dashsize}

• \EBox(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 )

• \ETri(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 )(x3 ,y3 )

• \GBox(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 ){grayscale}

• \GlueArc(x,y)(r,φ1 ,φ2 ){amplitude}{windings}

• \Gluon(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 ){amplitude}{windings}

• \GOval(x,y)(h,w)(φ){grayscale} Draws an oval with an internal color

• \Photon(x1 ,y1 )(x2 ,y2 ){amplitude}{wiggles}

• \PhotonArc(x,y)(r,φ1 ,φ2 ){amplitude}{wiggles}

• \SetOffset(x offset,y offset)

• \SetScaledOffset(x offset,y offset)

3.1 Text modes

left-top center-top right-top

left-bottom center-bottom right-bottom

3.2 The windings of a gluon

This code results in:

4 windings 5 windings 6 windings 7 windings 8 windings

The picture gets the following appearance:

amp > 0 amp > 0 amp < 0 amp < 0

This way it is rather straightforward to make whole pictorial equations. Of

At this scale this may please the eye more.

This gives the ‘proper’ picture as it would usually drawn by hand:

When the number of wiggles is reduced to 8 we obtain:

Sometimes these things require some experimenting.

Form program construction

3.6 Curves and graphs

and the resulting picture would be

Acknowledgement: The author wishes to thank G.J.van Oldenborgh for

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