arXiv subjects

Bernhard Mistlberger

Publications and source records attributed to Bernhard Mistlberger.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Three-Loop QCD Corrections to Scattering Amplitudes of a Higgs Boson and Three Partons

We present helicity amplitudes at three loops in the heavy-top quark effective theory of QCD for the scattering of a Higgs boson and three light partons with full-color dependence. To obtain these results, we use integration-by-parts identities implemented in the code Blade and evaluate the master integrals using canonical differential equations. We obtain compact analytic expressions in terms of generalized polylogarithms suitable for numerical evaluation. We observe that sub-leading color contributions at three loops are numerically as significant as leading-color terms. Our amplitudes are key ingredients for precision LHC phenomenology, for example in production cross sections involving a Higgs boson and a hadronic jet.

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arXiv2025

Subleading Color Corrections at Three Loops to the $\operatorname{tr}(\phi^2)$ Three-Point Form Factor in $\mathcal{N} = 4$ Super Yang-Mills Theory

We compute three-loop corrections to the three-point form factor of the operator $\operatorname{tr}(\phi^2)$ in $\mathcal{N} = 4$ Super Yang-Mills theory. In particular, our result is valid beyond the leading-color limit and will consequently be an important input towards extending the amplitude-bootstrap program beyond the leading-color approximation. We find that our analytic formulae are strikingly compact expressions in terms of integer linear combinations of generalized polylogarithms of weight six.

hep-th↗

arXiv2025

RVV$\times$V: Interference contributions to inclusive Higgs boson and Drell-Yan production at N$^4$LO in QCD

We present partonic contributions to the inclusive gluon-fusion Higgs boson and Drell-Yan production cross sections at Hadron colliders at next-to-next-to-next-to-next-to leading order (N$^4$LO). Specifically, we compute contributions due to the interference of one-loop amplitudes with two-loop amplitudes with three QCD partons and the Higgs boson or a virtual photon. Our result is in the form of a Laurent expansion in the dimensional regulator $\epsilon$, the coefficients of which are analytic functions in the ratio of the Higgs boson or virtual photon mass to the partonic center of mass energy. Furthermore, we introduce and deploy a new package implemented in Mathematica, CIFAR ("Color Invariant Feynman Amplitude Reducer"), to express color factors in terms of general Casimir invariants of simple compact Lie algebras.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Three-Loop QCD corrections to the production of a Higgs boson and a Jet

We compute three-loop QCD corrections to the scattering amplitude of a Higgs boson and three partons interfered with its tree level counterpart. Specifically, we derive our results in the generalized leading color limit. Our results are represented in terms of so-called multiple polylogarithms and thus ready for use in phenomenological predictions. We provide the three-loop amplitudes necessary to compute the production cross section of a Higgs boson and a hadronic jet at hadron colliders and the decay probability of a Higgs boson to three hadronic jets at lepton colliders.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Collinear Approximations for LHC Cross Sections: Factorization and Resummation

We explore a factorization theorem for color singlet production cross sections at the LHC in the limit of additional radiation becoming collinear to the direction of either of the colliding protons. The resulting formula approximates the cross section as a function of the Born variables of the color singlet final state, specifically its mass and rapidity. We analyze the quality of this approximation and study its limitations at the example of gluon-fusion Higgs boson production and Drell-Yan production through next-to-next-to-leading order in QCD perturbation theory. Furthermore, we resum logarithms enhanced in the collinear limit to next-to-next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy for our two example processes. We conclude that this framework of collinear approximation is a natural successor to the threshold approximation and resummation for inclusive and differential observables in color-neutral processes.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

Splitting amplitudes at N$^3$LO in QCD

In the limit where partons become collinear to each other, scattering amplitudes factorize into a product of universal, process-independent building blocks and scattering amplitudes involving fewer partons. We compute these universal building blocks -- known as splitting amplitudes -- for two collinear QCD partons up to third loop order in QCD. Our results describe arbitrary time-like splitting processes. Due to the violation of strict collinear factorization in space-like splitting processes, we specifically present space-like splitting amplitudes for three-parton QCD scattering amplitudes at third loop order. To achieve our results, we perform a collinear expansion of three-loop scattering amplitudes using a new expansion-by-subgraph technology, which is based on the method of regions.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

Ad interim recommendations for the Higgs boson production cross sections at $\sqrt{s} = 13.6$ TeV

This note documents predictions for the inclusive production cross sections of the Standard Model Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider at a centre of mass energy of 13.6 TeV. The predictions here are based on simple extrapolations of previously documented predictions published in the CERN Yellow Report "Deciphering the Nature of the Higgs Sector". The predictions documented in this note should serve as a reference while a more complete and update-to-date derivation of cross section predictions is in progress.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2023

Single-soft emissions for amplitudes with two colored particles at three loops

We compute the three-loop correction to the universal single-soft emission current for the case of scattering amplitudes with two additional color-charged partons. We present results valid for QCD and $\mathcal{N}=4$ super-symmetric Yang-Mills theory. To achieve our results we develop a new integrand expansion technique for scattering amplitudes in the presence of soft emissions. Furthermore, we obtain contributions from single final-state parton matrix elements to the Higgs boson and Drell-Yan production cross section at next-to-next-to-next-to-next-to leading order (N$^4$LO) in perturbative QCD in the threshold limit.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Theory Techniques for Precision Physics -- Snowmass 2021 TF06 Topical Group Report

The wealth of experimental data collected at laboratory experiments suggests that there is some scale separation between the Standard Model (SM) and phenomena beyond the SM (BSM). New phenomena can manifest itself as small corrections to SM predictions, or as signals in processes where the SM predictions vanish or are exceedingly small. This makes precise calculations of the SM expectations essential, in order to maximize the sensitivity of current and forthcoming experiments to BSM physics. This topical group report highlights some past and forthcoming theory developments critical for maximizing the sensitivity of the experimental program to understanding Nature at the shortest distances.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Inclusive Production Cross Sections at N3LO

We present for the first time the inclusive cross section for associated Higgs boson production with a massive gauge boson at next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order in QCD. Furthermore, we introduce n3loxs, a public, numerical program for the evaluation of inclusive cross sections at the third order in the strong coupling constant. Our tool allows to derive predictions for charged- and neutral-current Drell-Yan production, gluon- and bottom-quark-fusion Higgs boson production and Higgs boson associated production with a heavy gauge boson. We discuss perturbative and parton distribution function (PDF) uncertainties of the aforementioned processes. We perform a comparison of global PDF sets for a variety of process including associated Higgs boson production and observe $1σ$ deviations among predictions for several processes.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

The Four-Loop Rapidity Anomalous Dimension and Event Shapes to Fourth Logarithmic Order

We obtain the quark and gluon rapidity anomalous dimension to fourth order in QCD. We calculate the N$^3$LO rapidity anomalous dimensions to higher order in the dimensional regulator and make use of the soft/rapidity anomalous dimension correspondence in conjunction with the recent determination of the N$^4$LO threshold anomalous dimensions to achieve our result. We show that the results for the quark and gluon rapidity anomalous dimensions at four loops are related by generalized Casimir scaling. Using the N$^4$LO rapidity anomalous dimension, we perform the resummation of the Energy-Energy Correlation in the back-to-back limit at N$^4$LL, achieving for the first time the resummation of an event shape at this logarithmic order. We present numerical results and observe a reduction of perturbative uncertainties on the resummed cross section to below 1%.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Soft Integrals and Soft Anomalous Dimensions at N$^3$LO and Beyond

We calculate soft phase-space and loop master integrals tor the computation of color-singlet cross sections through N$^3$LO in perturbative QCD. Our results are functions of homogeneous transcendental weight and include the first nine terms in the expansion in the dimensional regulator $ε$. We discuss the application of our results to the computation of deeply-inelastic scattering and $e^+e^-$ annihilation processes. We use these results to compute the perturbative coefficient functions for the Drell-Yan and gluon-fusion Higgs boson production cross sections to higher orders in $ε$ through N$^3$LO in QCD in the limit where only soft partons are produced on top of the colorless final state. Furthermore, we extract the anomalous dimension of the inclusive threshold soft function and of the $N$-Jettiness beam and jet functions to N$^4$LO in perturbative QCD.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

The Path forward to N$^3$LO

The LHC experiments will achieve percent level precision measurements of processes key to some of the most pressing questions of contemporary particle physics: What is the nature of the Higgs boson? Can we successfully describe the interaction of fundamental particles at high energies? Is there physics beyond the Standard Model at the LHC? The capability to predict and describe such observables at next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N$^3$LO) in QCD perturbation theory is paramount to fully exploit these experimental measurements. We describe the current status of N$^3$LO predictions and highlight their importance in the upcoming precision phase of the LHC. Furthermore, we identify key conceptual and mathematical developments necessary to see wide-spread N$^3$LO phenomenology come to fruition.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Lepton-pair production at hadron colliders at N$^3$LO in QCD

We compute for the first time the complete corrections at N$^3$LO in the strong coupling constant to the inclusive neutral-current Drell-Yan process including contributions from both photon and $Z$-boson exchange. Our main result is the computation of the QCD corrections to the inclusive production cross section of an axial-vector boson to third order in the strong coupling in a variant of QCD with five massless quark flavours. Since the axial anomaly does not cancel for an odd number of flavours, we also consistently include non-decoupling effects in the top-quark mass through three loops. We perform a phenomenological study of our results, and we present for the first time predictions for the inclusive Drell-Yan process at the LHC at this order in QCD perturbation theory.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

The Energy-Energy Correlation in the back-to-back limit at N$^3$LO and N$^3$LL$^\prime$

We present the analytic formula for the Energy-Energy Correlation (EEC) in electron-positron annihilation computed in perturbative QCD to next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N$^3$LO) in the back-to-back limit. In particular, we consider the EEC arising from the annihilation of an electron-positron pair into a virtual photon as well as a Higgs boson and their subsequent inclusive decay into hadrons. Our computation is based on a factorization theorem of the EEC formulated within Soft-Collinear Effective Theory (SCET) for the back-to-back limit. We obtain the last missing ingredient for our computation - the jet function - from a recent calculation of the transverse-momentum dependent fragmentation function (TMDFF) at N$^3$LO. We combine the newly obtained N$^3$LO jet function with the well known hard and soft function to predict the EEC in the back-to-back limit. The leading transcendental contribution of our analytic formula agrees with previously obtained results in $\mathcal{N} = 4$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. We obtain the $N=2$ Mellin moment of the bulk region of the EEC using momentum sum rules. Finally, we obtain the first resummation of the EEC in the back-to-back limit at N$^3$LL$^\prime$ accuracy, resulting in a factor of $\sim 4$ reduction of uncertainties in the peak region compared to N$^3$LL predictions.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

TMD Fragmentation Functions at N$^3$LO

We compute the unpolarized quark and gluon transverse-momentum dependent fragmentation functions (TMDFFs) at next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N$^3$LO) in perturbative QCD. The calculation is based on a relation between the TMDFF and the limit of the semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering cross section where all final-state radiation becomes collinear to the detected hadron. The required cross section is obtained by analytically continuing our recent computation of the Drell-Yan and Higgs boson production cross section at N$^3$LO expanded around the limit of all final-state radiation becoming collinear to one of the initial states. Our results agree with a recent independent calculation by Luo et al.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Higgs production in bottom-quark fusion to third order in the strong coupling

We present the inclusive cross section at next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N$^3$LO) in perturbative QCD for the production of a Higgs boson via bottom-quark fusion. We employ the five-flavour scheme, treating the bottom quark as a massless parton while retaining a non-vanishing Yukawa coupling to the Higgs boson. We find that the dependence of the hadronic cross section on the renormalisation and factorisation scales is substantially reduced. For judicious choices of the scales the perturbative expansion of the cross section shows a convergent behaviour. We present results for the N$^3$LO cross section at various collider energies. In comparison to the cross section obtained from the Santander-matching of the four and five-flavour schemes we predict a slightly higher cross section, though the two predictions are consistent within theoretical uncertainties.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

The Drell-Yan cross section to third order in the strong coupling constant

We present phenomenological results for the inclusive cross section for the production of a lepton-pair via virtual photon exchange at next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N$^3$LO) in perturbative QCD. In line with the case of Higgs production, we find that the hadronic cross section receives corrections at the percent level, and the residual dependence on the perturbative scales is reduced. However, unlike in the Higgs case, we observe that the uncertainty band derived from scale variation is no longer contained in the band of the previous order.

hep-ph↗