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Ilkka Helenius

Publications and source records attributed to Ilkka Helenius.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Towards new D meson fragmentation functions

The Heavy Meson (Hymn) collaboration presents a new extraction of D meson fragmentation functions using experimental data from LEP and LHC. We focus particularly on kinematical regimes where perturbative QCD should be safely applicable to avoid contamination from higher-twist effects which could lead to an apparent process dependence of fragmentation functions. We account for the initial-state radiation and, as a novel ingredient, consider the prompt and non-prompt contributions separately. The analysis is carried out at next-to-leading order accuracy including uncertainty estimation based on Monte-Carlo replica technique. We disucss the exemplary case of $\mathrm{D}^0$ here and defer the results for $\mathrm{D}^\pm$ and $\mathrm{D}^{*,\pm}$ to a forthcoming publication.

hep-ph

Simultaneous production of a $W$ boson and a charmed hadron at the LHC in general-mass variable-flavour-number scheme

The simultaneous production of a $W^\pm$ boson and a charmed hadron in proton-proton collisions offers a potential probe for constraining the strange quark parton distribution functions (PDFs). We study these processes at next-to-leading order in perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics within the general-mass variable-flavor-number scheme. By considering ratios of cross-section between oppositely charged mesons, uncertainties associated with unphysical scale choices and fragmentation functions are shown to effectively cancel out, leaving the uncertainty originating from the PDFs as the dominant one. By comparing our calculations with CT18A, MSHT20 and NNPDF4.0 PDFs with the recent ATLAS measurement at $\sqrt{s} = 13\,{\rm TeV}$ we find that CT18A, which imposes zero strangeness asymmetry, agrees best with the data, while MSHT20 and NNPDF4.0, both of which allow for a non-zero strangeness asymmetry, exhibit greater tension with the ATLAS data. The sensitivity to the strangeness asymmetry is further confirmed by the PDF reweighting methods. We also study the impact of possible intrinsic charm content of the proton finding no significant sensitivity. Finally, we explore the possibility of measuring these processes in proton-lead collisions. With the estimated detector efficiencies and projected luminositites at the high-luminosity LHC, these processes should be visible, yet with a rather limited constraining power for nuclear PDFs.

hep-ph

VALO1.0: New real-photon parton distributions with Monte Carlo uncertainties

Performing a global QCD analysis of data on the photon structure function $F_2^{\gamma}$ in $e^{+} e^{-}$ scattering, we determine new leading order (LO) and next-to-leading (NLO) parton distributions functions (PDFs) of the real photon. The resulting photon PDFs, referred to as VALO1.0, are obtained in the form of Monte Carlo (MC) replicas which assess the propagation of experimental uncertainties to the PDFs. To achieve well-converging fits, we employ a five-parameter hadron-like ansatz for the boundary conditions with simplifying assumptions on the flavor structure of the quark distributions and the large-$x$ behavior of the gluon distribution. This results in robust quark distributions at both LO and NLO and the gluon distribution at NLO with modest uncertainties, while leaving LO gluons still largely unconstrained. The resulting photon PDFs broadly agree with the parameterizations available in the literature and set the stage for future analyses including additional photoproduction data, which could help to increase the flexibility of our input PDFs. The LO and NLO VALO1.0 photon-PDF replicas, both in the DIS$_{\gamma}$ and $\overline{\rm MS}$ factorization schemes as well as the open-source $\gamma\texttt{EKO}$ code for solving the scale dependence of photon PDFs and the analysis framework $\texttt{VALOfitter}$ are made publicly available.

hep-ph

Inclusive charm and bottom quark pair production cross sections at hadron colliders at next-to-next-to-leading-order accuracy

The inclusive cross sections for charm ($\mathrm{c}\overline{\mathrm{c}}$) and bottom ($\mathrm{b}\overline{\mathrm{b}}$) quark-antiquark pair production in proton-proton, proton-antiproton, and proton-nucleus collisions are studied over a wide range of center-of-mass energies, $\sqrt{s}\approx 10$ GeV--400 TeV. All existing data over $\sqrt{s}\approx 10$ GeV--14 TeV are collected and compared to calculations at next-to-next-to-leading-order (NNLO) accuracy using the new fixed-order MaunaKea open-source code for varying sets of parton distribution functions (PDFs). Relative to next-to-leading-order (NLO) predictions, the NNLO cross sections are enhanced by up to a factor of two, with the associated theoretical scale uncertainties reduced by the same amount, leading to agreement with experimental data over the full range of collision energies. The NNLO results are also compared with NLO predictions obtained within the SACOT-$m_{_\mathrm{T}}$ general-mass variable-flavour-number scheme. Despite still sizable theoretical and experimental uncertainties, $\mathrm{c}\overline{\mathrm{c}}$ cross section at multi-TeV energies can provide extra constraints on the gluon density at very small-$x$ in global PDF analyses. In the bottom sector, more precise cross section measurements at low energies, $\sqrt{s}\approx 10$--100 GeV, can help constraint the bottom-quark pole mass.

hep-ph

Multiplicative matching of neutral current deep-inelastic scattering processes at next-to-leading order in PYTHIA 8

We introduce a method for matching the neutral-current deep inelastic scattering process with parton showers at first order in the strong coupling. This multiplicative matching is achieved by reweighting leading-order Born-level events and requires that the first parton-shower emission is distributed according to the real matrix-element. The method is implemented as an internal matching strategy in the Pythia 8 event generator applicable with both currently available parton shower algorithms, the default one and Vincia. The validity of higher-order corrections is verified with comparisons against existing next-to-leading order simulations. The strategy is used to describe reduced cross-sections measured at the HERA collider, and we find better overall agreement and reduced uncertainties with the matching.

hep-ph

Photoproduction in general-purpose event generators

We compare the three general-purpose Monte Carlo event generators, HERWIG, PYTHIA, and SHEPRA for jet photoproduction processes in $e^+e^-$ and $ep$ collisions. Due to the lower energy scales probed, photoproduction is particularly sensitive to non-perturbative corrections. In a systematic analysis we disentangle and quantify the differences between the generators in these processes, i.e. contributions from beam remnants, parton showers, multiparton interactions (MPIs), and hadronisation modelling. We outline the default inputs and implementation differences and compare the computations with experimental data from LEP and HERA. We find that all generators provide a decent description of the data within the uncertainties, with particularly good descriptions by the LO-accurate PYTHIA and the NLO-accurate SHERPA. Finally, we also present predictions for the upcoming EIC for jet observables and event shapes and conclude that a modern global refit of the photon parton distributions and dedicated experimental measurements ported to the RIVET framework to constrain non-perturbative parameters are the key prerequisites for precision photoproduction phenomenology at the EIC.

hep-ph

Dimuon production in neutrino-nucleus collisions at next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative QCD

Charm production in charged-current neutrino-nucleus deep-inelastic scattering (DIS), measured through dimuon final states, remains an important constraint of strangeness in global analyses of parton distribution functions (PDFs). This process has traditionally favored a smaller strange-quark PDF at small momentum fractions $x$ than what the LHC heavy-gauge boson data have indicated. Here, we present a self-contained next-to-next-to-leading-order (NNLO) perturbative QCD calculation of dimuon production in neutrino-nucleus DIS based on semi-inclusive DIS (SIDIS). This process has been previously computed at NNLO through fully inclusive charm production. We discuss the shortcomings of this approach and how they are addressed in the SIDIS picture. We study the perturbative convergence and explore new heavy-quark production channels that become available at NNLO. We find that the NNLO corrections significantly reduce the scale uncertainties at large values of $x$ where the cross sections are enhanced by the NNLO corrections. At small $x$, the NNLO corrections tend to be negative instead, which alleviate the tension between the dimuon and LHC data.

hep-ph

Improving the description of dimuon production in neutrino-nucleus collisions using the SACOT-$χ$ scheme

Dimuon production in deeply inelastic scattering between neutrinos and nuclei plays an important role in constraining the strange-quark parton distribution functions (PDFs). Here, we present a self-contained calculation of this process consisting of a next-to-leading order semi-inclusive charmed-hadron production in the SACOT-$χ$ general-mass variable-flavor-number scheme, followed by a semi-leptonic decay of the charmed hadron. We find that invoking the SACOT-$χ$ scheme introduces modifications up to $20 \, \%$ in comparison to our previous esimates, where only kinematic mass effects were considered through the slow-rescaling variable. We reiterate our earlier observation that the effective acceptance correction - typically used in global PDF fits as a simplifying approximation - depends on the perturbative order, PDFs, scales, and also on the treatment of heavy-quark effects. We find good agreement with the corresponding data from the NuTeV experiment.

hep-ph

Dimuon production in DIS with charm-mass effects

Dimuon production in neutrino-nucleus collisions, an important constraint of strangeness in global parton distribution function analyses, is typically calculated by assuming it to be proportional to inclusive charm production. This approach breaks down beyond fixed-flavor leading-order calculations. In our previous work, we introduced an alternative approach based on semi-inclusive charmed-hadron production to compute dimuon production directly. We now present an extension to this work, where we compute the semi-inclusive hadron production in the SACOT-$χ$ general-mass variable-flavor number scheme to take all charm-mass effects consistently into account. The results are in line with our expectations, with the dynamical charm-mass effects modifying our previous approximative calculation by up to $20 \, \%$ at small values of $Q^2$.

hep-ph

Multi-Jet Production in Deep Inelastic Scattering with Pythia

We introduce multi-jet merging for deep inelastic scattering in the Vincia parton shower in the Monte Carlo event generator Pythia 8. Merging combines event samples of different parton multiplicities with logarithmically enhanced parton-shower radiation. We consider up to five outgoing partons using two different merging algorithms. We vary the relevant scale choices and compare to experimental data by H1 collaboration at the HERA collider. Results show that multi-jet merging improves description to data, especially for low virtuality events, and that jet cross-sections converge when the partonic multiplicity exceeds the number of reconstructed jets.

hep-ph

Hadron-ion collisions in Pythia and the vector-meson dominance model for photoproduction

We present an extension to the Pythia Monte Carlo event generator that enables simulations of collisions between a generic hadron beam on a nuclear target with energy variation in event-by-event basis. This builds upon Pythia's module for heavy ions, Angantyr, as well as previous work on simulating hadron-proton collisions. As such, the extensions in this work are largely technical, except for a rudimentary model for hadronic fluctuations. With hadron-ion simulations, we implement an explicit vector-meson dominance (VMD) model that can be used to simulate interactions of hadronic component of real photons in photo-nuclear collisions. Such processes can be studied in ultra-peripheral heavy-ion collisions and in the future also with the upcoming Electron-Ion Collider. Our work also has applications to hadronic showers, e.g. air showers initiated by high-energy cosmic rays. We first validate the VMD model by comparing to HERA photoproduction data on proton target. Then we apply this to generate events for ultra-peripheral heavy-ion collisions at the LHC and present the results corresponding to the event-selection criteria matching to a recent ATLAS analysis. We find that single-particle multiplicity and rapidity distributions are well in line with the measured ones. We also construct the Fourier coefficients from two-particle correlations for the simulated events and study whether the resulting azimuthal anisotropies are consistent with the ATLAS results.

hep-ph

Spatial resolution of dijet photoproduction in near-encounter ultraperipheral nuclear collisions

We present next-to-leading order perturbative QCD predictions for inclusive dijet photoproduction in ultra-peripheral nucleus-nucleus collisions (UPCs) within the impact-parameter dependent equivalent photon approximation. Taking into account the finite size of both the photon-emitting and the target nucleus, we show that this process is sensitive to the transverse-plane geometry of the UPC events. We show that this leads to a sizeable, 20-40% effect for large values of the $z_γ$ variable in the dijet photoproduction cross section in lead-lead UPCs at 5.02 TeV compared to the widely-used pointlike approximation where the nuclear radius is accounted for only as a sharp cut-off in the photon flux calculation. This resolution of the spatial degrees of freedom is a result of having high-transverse-momentum jets in the final state, which at the large-$z_γ$ kinematics requires a highly energetic photon in the initial state, thus biasing the collisions to small impact-parameter ''near-encounter'' configurations. We further discuss the role of the forward-neutron event-class selection in isolating the photonuclear cross section in the nucleus-nucleus collisions, and employ the needed electromagnetic breakup survival factor in our predictions.

hep-ph

Dimuons from neutrino-nucleus collisions in the semi-inclusive DIS approach

We present a next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculation of dimuon production in neutrino-nucleus collisions. This process is typically calculated by assuming it to be proportional to inclusive charm production, which requires an effective acceptance correction to take the experimental cuts on the decay-muon kinematics into account. Here, we instead compute the dimuon production cross section directly as a convolution of semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering to produce charmed hadrons, and a decay function fitted to $e^+e^-$ data to produce a muon from the charmed hadrons. The presented approach is in a good agreement with available experimental data and will serve as a starting point for higher-order QCD calculations without an external acceptance correction. The uncertainties arising from the decay function and scale dependence are sizeably smaller than those from the nuclear parton distribution functions. We also calculate the effective acceptances within our approach and compare them to those usually used in global fits of parton distribution functions, finding differences of the order of $10\,\%$, depending on the kinematics, perturbative order, and applied parton distributions.

hep-ph

Multi-Jet Merging in Deep Inelastic Scattering with Pythia

We aim to improve the modelling of deep inelastic scattering by implementing multi-jet merging capabilities in Vincia parton shower in the general-purpose Monte Carlo event generator, Pythia. Merging allows to combine event samples of different parton multiplicities with logarithmically enhanced radiation from parton shower algorithms, without double-counting. Here we consider events up to five outgoing partons and present results for jet analyses compared to experimental data provided by the ZEUS and H1 collaborations of the HERA collider. The analyses span a wide range in photon virtuality, and the results show that the multi-jet merging improves jet modelling especially for low virtuality events.

hep-ph

Dijet photoproduction and transverse-plane geometry in ultra-peripheral nucleus-nucleus collisions

We present new NLO pQCD predictions for the inclusive photoproduction of dijets in ultra-peripheral (UPC) lead-lead collisions at 5.02 TeV with a realistic impact-parameter dependent effective photon flux obtained through the Woods-Saxon nuclear profile. For the first time in NLO inclusive UPC dijet predictions, we take into account also the modelling of the forward-neutron event class required in the experimental measurements. We show that since the dijet photoproduction at forward rapidities requires an energetic photon in the initial state, this biases the cross section to be dominated by events with relatively small impact parameters between the nuclei, of the order of a few nuclear radii. This leads to a sensitivity to the transverse-plane collision geometry, which we take properly into account by including effects from the finite extent of both the photon-emitting and the target nucleus. We also test the potential sensitivity to the spatial dependence of nuclear parton distribution functions in connection with this finding.

hep-ph

Dimuon production in neutrino-nucleus collisions -- the SIDIS approach

Dimuon production is in many global parton distribution function analyses calculated by assuming that it is proportional to inclusive charm production. As this assumption breaks down at next-to-leading order in the perturbative expansion, we present a direct calculation of dimuon production that does not require an external acceptance correction. Our calculation utilizes semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering and a decay function fitted to experimental data. We find our calculation to be in good agreement with available experimental data. Here we also demonstrate that the acceptance correction depends on the used parton distribution and perturbative order.

hep-ph

Global fits of proton PDFs with non-linear corrections from gluon recombination

We present numerical studies of the leading non-linear corrections to the DGLAP evolution equations of parton distribution functions (PDFs) resulting from gluon recombination, which reduce the pace of evolution at small momentum fractions $x$. The non-linear evolution is implemented in the \textsc{HOPPET} and \textsc{xFitter} toolkits and used to carry out fits of proton PDFs using lepton-proton deep inelastic scattering data from HERA, BCDMS and NMC. While we do not find evidence for non-linear effects, we are able to set upper limits for their strength. We also quantify the potential impact of longitudinal structure function measurements at the Electron-Ion Collider and the Large Hadron Electron Collider on future fits.

hep-ph

Collision geometry in UPC dijet production

We present a comprehensive NLO pQCD study on inclusive dijet photoproduction in ultraperipheral nucleus-nucleus collisions (UPCs). Our analysis takes into account the finite size of both the photon-emitting and the target nucleus, estimated using the Wood-Saxon nuclear density profile. We show that a significant part of the measured dijets at large $z_γ$ in UPC Pb+Pb collisions at 5.02 TeV come from events with relatively small impact parameters of the order of a few nuclear radii, and the cross section predictions thus become sensitive to the modelling of the collision geometry and photon flux near the source nucleus. In addition, we include the modelling of electromagnetic breakup survival factor needed for a direct comparison with the experimental data and study the resolution power of this process in terms of the impact-parameter dependent nuclear parton distribution functions.

hep-ph