arXiv subjects

Hai Tao Li

Publications and source records attributed to Hai Tao Li.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Complete electroweak corrections to diphoton production via gluon fusion at the LHC

We present a complete calculation of the next-to-leading order (NLO) electroweak corrections to the loop-induced gluon-fusion process $gg\toγγ$ at the LHC, including the full third-generation quark and the Higgs boson contributions for the first time. To efficiently evaluate the large number of multi-scale two-loop Feynman integrals, we employ a numerical approach based on differential equations with an optimized basis. Our results show that, although the NLO electroweak corrections to the phase-space-integrated cross section remain at the sub-percent level, they can reach about $-10\%$ in the tails of the diphoton invariant-mass and photon transverse-momentum distributions. Moreover, the diphoton invariant-mass distribution exhibits rich and intriguing structures, including a dip-bump structure in the Higgs-threshold region and a mild enhancement near the top-quark pair threshold. These features make the electroweak corrections indispensable for future precision studies of diphoton production at the LHC.

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arXiv2026

NNLO QCD corrections to hadron production in DIS at finite transverse momentum

We present the first calculation of hadron production in deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) at finite transverse momentum to next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) in perturbative QCD. To overcome the long-standing challenge of infrared divergences in semi-inclusive processes with identified final state hadrons at finite transverse momentum, we implement the recently developed qT-subtraction framework based on the recoil-free jet definition. By utilizing the winner-take-all recombination scheme, we achieve a consistent factorization for hadron-jet associated production, enabling the inclusion of $O(α_s^3)$ corrections. Our NNLO results generally demonstrate an improved convergence of the perturbative expansion and a reduction in scale uncertainties compared to previous next-to-leading order ones, especially for comparisons to multiplicity data from the ZEUS Collaboration. This work provides a high-precision theoretical foundation for the upcoming electron-ion collider era and establishes a new benchmark for the exploration of the nucleon's three-dimensional structure.

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arXiv2026

Polarized Semi-Inclusive Deep-Inelastic Scattering at $\mathcal O(α_s^3)$ in QCD

Unraveling the partonic origin of the proton spin requires precise determinations of polarized parton distribution functions (PDFs), which depend on comparably precise theoretical predictions for polarized scattering, particularly in view of the high-precision measurements anticipated at the future Electron-Ion Collider. We present the first next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N$^3$LO) QCD predictions for longitudinally polarized semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering (SIDIS) in a fully differential form, together with next-to-next-to-leading order predictions for the hadron transverse-momentum spectrum. These results are obtained by extending the two-dimensional transverse-momentum subtraction framework to the spin-dependent cross section. Together with the corresponding unpolarized calculation, these results enable consistent N$^3$LO predictions for longitudinal double-spin asymmetries and provide a precision baseline for future analyses of helicity PDFs and transverse-momentum-dependent helicity distributions.

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arXiv2026

Transverse-Momentum Subtraction for Semi-Inclusive Deep-Inelastic Scattering

Semi-Inclusive Deep-Inelastic Scattering provides unique access to the three-dimensional momentum and spin structure of the proton, enabling precise studies of parton dynamics and hadronization in QCD. We present a transverse-momentum subtraction approach applied to the detected hadron that enables efficient and precise calculation of higher-order QCD corrections to identified hadron production in Semi-Inclusive Deep-Inelastic Scattering. We demonstrate the success of the method through a next-to-next-to-leading order QCD calculation and provide fully differential phenomenological applications, which provide important ingredients for global analyses of fragmentation functions. Our method is applicable to next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order QCD corrections for both unpolarized and polarized semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering.

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arXiv2026

Higgs Boson Pair Production via Gluon Fusion: Higher-Order Corrections and Theoretical Uncertainties

In this contribution, the higher-order QCD and electroweak corrections to Standard Model Higgs boson pair production via the gluon-fusion mechanism, $gg\to hh$, are summarized and the different sources of theoretical uncertainty are assessed. The discussion includes finite top quark mass effects, matching to parton showers, approximate NNLO and N$^3$LO QCD corrections, NLO electroweak effects, and uncertainties associated with the top quark mass scheme and perturbative scale choices. In addition, we provide an updated state-of-the-art recommendation for the inclusive gluon-fusion Higgs boson pair production cross section and the corresponding Higgs boson pair invariant-mass distribution.

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arXiv2026

N$^{\mathbf{3}}$LL + $\mathcal{O}(α_s^2)$ predictions of lepton-jet azimuthal angular distribution in deep-inelastic scattering

We present an analysis of lepton-jet azimuthal decorrelation in deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) at next-to-next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic (N$^{3}$LL) accuracy, combined with fixed-order corrections at $\mathcal{O}(α_s^2)$. In this study, jets are defined in the lab frame using the anti-$k_T$ clustering algorithm and the winner-take-all recombination scheme. The N$^{3}$LL resummation results are derived from the transverse-momentum dependent factorization formula within the soft-collinear effective theory, while the $\mathcal{O}(α_s^2)$ fixed-order matching distribution is calculated using the {\tt NLOJET++} event generator. The azimuthal decorrelation between the jet and electron serves as a critical probe of the three-dimensional structure of the nucleon. Our numerical predictions provide a robust framework for precision studies of QCD and the nucleon's internal structure through jet observables in DIS. These results are particularly significant for analyses involving jets in HERA data and the forthcoming electron-ion collider experiments.

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arXiv2026

Tracing Vacuum Hadronization with Conserved Currents

We show that color triality constrains the nonperturbative states that screen a Wilson-line endpoint, allowing the joint flows of net electric charge, baryon number, and strangeness to probe QCD vacuum hadronization. Whether evaluated from resolved hadrons in a jet initiated by a quark of flavor $f$ or from the corresponding charge correlators, these flows satisfy the Gell-Mann--Nishijima relation $\langle Q_{\rm flow}\rangle_f \simeq I_{3,f} +\frac{1}{2}\left( \langle S_{\rm flow}\rangle_f +\langle B_{\rm flow}\rangle_f \right)$, where $I_{3,f}$ is the third component of the initiating-quark isospin. The net jet baryon number, $\langle B_{\rm flow}\rangle_f\simeq \frac{r_{qq}}{1+r_{qq}}$, directly probes the relative probability of a diquark--antidiquark vacuum excitation, with $r_{qq}$ the diquark-to-quark production ratio. Thus, for $r_{qq}\ll1$, the baryon number carried by the jet is substantially suppressed relative to the initiating-quark value $B_f=1/3$. Likewise, the strange-to-light pair-production ratio, defined by $u\bar u:d\bar d:s\bar s=1:1:r_s$, is encoded in the measured jet strangeness $\langle S_{\rm flow}\rangle_f \simeq S_f+\frac{3r_s}{2+r_s} \left(\frac{1}{3}- \langle B_{\rm flow}\rangle_f\right)$, predicting a nonzero mean net strangeness even in $u$- and $d$-initiated jets. The conserved-current moments appearing in these relations are independent of the renormalization scale. Their simultaneous measurement therefore provides a direct, flavor-resolved probe of vacuum pair production and quantum-number transport during hadronization.

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arXiv2026

Approximate N$^2$LO and N$^3$LO QCD Predictions for $tW$ Production

We present high-precision predictions for associated $tW$ production at the LHC that incorporate the next-to-next-to-leading order hard and soft functions as well as the complete next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order scale-dependent terms derived from the corresponding anomalous dimensions. These higher-order corrections, which dominate the full perturbative results, increase the next-to-leading order cross section by more than 10\%. Based on the comparison with ATLAS and CMS measurements, we directly extract the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element $|V_{tb}|=0.99\pm 0.03({\rm expt})\pm 0.03({\rm theor})$ without assuming unitarity, achieving a precision comparable with the current world average value.

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arXiv2026

Energy Correlators Resolving Proton Spin

We investigate the partonic origin of the proton longitudinal spin using spin-dependent energy correlators measured in lepton-hadron collisions with longitudinally polarized proton beams. These observables encode angular correlations in energy flow and are sensitive to the spin-momentum structure of confined partons. Using soft-collinear effective theory, we analyze the correlation patterns in both nearly back-to-back and forward limits, which establishes a direct correspondence with longitudinally polarized transverse momentum-dependent distributions (TMDs) and nucleon energy correlators (NECs). The TMDs and NECs allow consistent matching onto hard radiation regions and provide a comprehensive description of the transition from perturbative parton branching to nonperturbative confinement. Using renormalization group evolution, we obtain joint next-to-next-to-next-to-leading and next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic quantitative predictions for spin-dependent energy correlation patterns in the current and target fragmentation regions. The framework provides new theoretical insight into how the internal motion and spin of partons contribute to the formation of the proton longitudinal spin and offers an experimental paradigm for probing the interplay between color confinement and spin dynamics at the forthcoming Electron-Ion Collider.

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arXiv2026

Fully differential Higgs boson pair production at N$^3$LO with top quark mass effects

Higgs-boson pair production is of fundamental importance for probing the Higgs potential. At hadron colliders, the dominant production channel proceeds via gluon-gluon fusion (ggF) mediated by a top-quark loop. We report the first fully differential predictions for Higgs-boson pair production through ggF at next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N$^3$LO) in the strong coupling $α_s$ in the heavy-top-quark limit (HTL). Fiducial cross section and selected differential distributions are presented at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 14 TeV, under realistic experimental selection cuts. The N$^3$LO QCD corrections reduce the scale uncertainties of the next-to-next-to-leading order fiducial and differential predictions by approximately a factor of three, bringing the theoretical uncertainty to the percent level in the HTL. After incorporating top-quark-mass effects at next-to-leading order in $α_s$, we provide one of the most precise parton-level differential predictions to date for ongoing experimental searches for Higgs-boson pair production at the LHC.

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arXiv2026

Constraining the Higgs potential using multi-Higgs production

The Higgs self-couplings remain only weakly constrained by current Large Hadron Collider (LHC) measurements, leaving ample room for physics beyond the Standard Model that could modify the structure of the Higgs potential. Multi-Higgs production processes provide a particularly sensitive probe of deviations in both the Higgs trilinear and quartic self-couplings. In this note, we summarize the current status of next-to-leading-order electroweak (EW) corrections to double-Higgs production computed within the Standard Model Effective Field Theory and Higgs Effective Field Theory frameworks, emphasizing how these calculations introduce sensitivity to the Higgs self-couplings beyond what is accessible at leading order. We discuss the key conceptual and technical differences between the two effective field theory approaches, including their treatment of higher-dimensional operators, renormalization procedures, and the structure of EW~two-loop amplitudes. Despite these differences, both approaches yield broadly consistent constraints, illustrating the complementarity of double- and triple-Higgs measurements. With the high-luminosity LHC and future high-energy colliders on the horizon, these developments and further advances provide an essential foundation for extracting increasingly precise information on the dynamics of EW symmetry breaking.

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arXiv2026

Two-Dimensional Transverse-Momentum Subtraction and Semi-Inclusive Deep-Inelastic Scattering at N$^3$LO in QCD

Identified hadron production is essential for the study of nucleon structure and QCD hadronization at high energies. We present the first calculation of unpolarized semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering (SIDIS) at next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N$^3$LO) in perturbative QCD. Our calculation is based on a novel method of two-dimensional transverse-momentum subtraction motivated by QCD factorization of soft and collinear singularities. The N$^3$LO corrections are moderate in general but can be significant in threshold regions, and exhibit excellent perturbative convergence and reduced scale variations. The fully differential framework allows for arbitrary selection cuts and directly enables precision nucleon tomography at the upcoming Electron-Ion Collider, establishing the theory foundation needed to match the anticipated experimental accuracy. Generalization of the method to calculations of polarized SIDIS is also feasible.

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arXiv2025

Compton Scattering Total Cross Section at Next-to-Next-to-Leading Order and Resummation of Leading Logarithms

Compton scattering is a fundamental process in QED with broad applications, yet its theoretical description at high energies is challenged by substantial next-to-leading order (NLO) corrections arising from double-logarithmic enhancements. To address this, we report the first calculation of the next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) total cross section with full electron mass dependence. Our analysis reveals that the NNLO correction, albeit still containing double logarithms, is numerically small due to a suppressing prefactor. By identifying the origin of these logarithms in a kinematic regime featuring a Glauber electron exchange, we successfully resum the leading logarithmic series to all orders, obtaining a compact result in terms of a modified Bessel function. The all-order structure reveals a suppression mechanism, with double factorial terms in the denominator, which explains the negligible nature of higher-order contributions. The combination of our NNLO calculation and all-orders resummation delivers a reliable and precise prediction, poised to serve the needs of high-precision experiments in the foreseeable future.

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arXiv2025

Electroweak corrections to Higgs+jet production in gluon fusion

We present the calculation of complete next-to-leading order electroweak corrections to the Higgs boson production in $gg\to g H$ channel. We apply the method of differential equations combined with the selection of optimized master integrals to accomplish the calculation of master integrals. We consider three distinct renormalization schemes. At leading order, the differential distributions and the total cross section show a strong dependence on the renormalization scheme. However, these discrepancies are considerably suppressed once electroweak corrections are taken into account. For $G_μ$ scheme, the electroweak correction amounts to approximately $4.3\%$ of the total cross section. Importantly, we find that the EW corrections exhibit a strong dependence on Higgs transverse momentum.

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arXiv2025

QCD corrections to Higgs boson pair production and decay to the $b\bar{b}τ^+τ^-$ final state

We present a comprehensive investigation of next-to-leading order (NLO) quantum chromodynamics (QCD) corrections to Higgs boson pair production and the subsequent decay into $b\bar{b}τ^+ τ^-$. We adopt the narrow-width approximation to separate the production and decay contributions and employ the dipole subtraction method to address infrared divergences inherent in perturbative QCD corrections. After applying a set of typical experimental cuts, we show that NLO QCD corrections to the decay process induce a significant reduction of the fiducial cross section and reshape important kinematic distributions at the 13.6 TeV LHC, such as the invariant mass of the Higgs boson pair and the transverse momentum of the leading $b$-jet. We also investigate the dependence of the kinematic distributions on the Higgs self-coupling and provide the signal acceptance as a function of the Higgs self-coupling modifier with full QCD corrections.

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arXiv2025

Sudakov evolution without unitarity

We present a method for sampling singular functions defined on (nested) multi-particle phase spaces, based on a generalisation of parton-shower phase-space generation techniques. At the heart of the method are three key ingredients: 1) the Sudakov sampling by which shower-style calculations sweep across phase space in an ordered manner, from hard to soft; 2) the sequential nesting of multiparticle phase spaces; and 3) the factorisations obeyed by singular multiparton amplitudes on the edges of these phase spaces. We demonstrate a C++ implementation of the proposed algorithm, dubbed Sunshine, for hadronic Z decays, and use it to test the tree-level accuracy of the Vincia sector shower through $\mathcal{O}(α_s^2)$.

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arXiv2025

Improved constraints on Higgs boson self-couplings with quartic and cubic power dependencies of the cross section

Precise determination of the Higgs boson self-couplings is essential for understanding the mechanism underlying electroweak symmetry breaking. However, owing to the limited number of Higgs boson pair events at the LHC, only loose constraints have been established to date. Current constraints are based on the assumption that the cross section is a quadratic function of the trilinear Higgs self-coupling within the $κ$ framework. Incorporating higher-order quantum corrections from virtual Higgs bosons would significantly alter this functional form, introducing new quartic and cubic power dependencies on the trilinear Higgs self-coupling. To derive this new functional form, we propose a specialized renormalization procedure that tracks all Higgs self-couplings at each calculation step. Additionally, we introduce renormalization constants for coupling modifiers within the $κ$ framework to ensure the cancellation of all ultraviolet divergences. With new functional forms of the cross sections in both the gluon-gluon fusion and vector boson fusion channels, the upper limit of $κ_{λ_{\rm 3H}}=λ_{\rm 3H}/λ_{\rm 3H}^{\rm SM}$ set by the ATLAS (CMS) collaboration is reduced from 6.6 (6.49) to 5.5 (5.39). However, extracting a meaningful constraint on the quartic Higgs self-coupling $λ_{\rm 4H}$ from Higgs boson pair production data remains challenging. We also present the invariant mass distributions of the Higgs boson pair at different values of $κ_λ$, which could assist in setting optimal cuts for experimental analysis.

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arXiv2025

Next-to-next-to-leading order threshold soft function for $tW$ production

We compute the two-loop soft function for the associated production of a top quark and a $W$ boson near the threshold, where the invariant mass of the $tW$ system approaches the collider energy. We employ the reverse unitarity technique and integration-by-parts identities to reduce soft loop integrals to a minimal basis of master integrals. These master integrals are analytically evaluated using the method of differential equations, yielding results expressed in terms of multiple polylogarithms. Additionally, we analyze the asymptotic behavior of the soft function in the low and high energy limits. Our results provide a vital component for threshold resummation at the next-to-next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic level in this process.

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