Automorphic forms arise naturally when studying scattering amplitudes in toroidal compactifications of string theory. In this talk, I will summarize the conditions on four-graviton amplitudes from the literature required by U-duality, supersymmetry and string perturbation theory, which are satisfied by certain Eisenstein series on exceptional Lie groups. Physical information, such as instanton effects, are encoded in their Fourier coefficients on parabolic subgroups, which are, in general, difficult to compute. I will demonstrate a method for evaluating certain Fourier coefficients of interest in string theory. Based on arXiv:1511.04265, arXiv:1412.5625 and work in progress.

Chalmers