Algebras for amplitudes

A bstract Tree-level amplitudes of gauge theories are expressed in a basis of auxiliary amplitudes with only cubic vertices. The vertices in this formalism are explicitly factorized in color and kinematics, clarifying the color-kinematics duality in gauge theory amplitudes. The basis is constructed making use of the KK and BCJ relations, thereby showing precisely how these relations underlie the color-kinematics duality. We express gravity amplitudes in terms of a related basis of color-dressed gauge theory amplitudes, with basis coefficients which are permutation symmetric.