arXiv subjects

Ilkka Helenius

Publications and source records attributed to Ilkka Helenius.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2024

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↗

arXiv2024

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↗

arXiv2024

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↗

arXiv2024

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↗

arXiv2023

Proton PDFs with non-linear corrections from gluon recombination

We present numerical studies of the leading non-linear corrections to the Dokshitzer-Gribov-Lipatov-Altarelli-Parisi evolution equations of parton distribution functions (PDFs) resulting from gluon recombination. The effect of these corrections is to reduce the pace of evolution at small momentum fractions $x$, while slightly increasing it at intermediate $x$. By implementing the non-linear evolution in the xFitter framework, we have carried out fits of proton PDFs using data on lepton-proton deep inelastic scattering from HERA, BCDMS and NMC. While we find no evidence for the presence of non-linearities, they cannot be entirely excluded either and we are able to set limits for their strength. In terms of the recombination scale $Q_r$, which plays a similar role as the saturation scale in the dipole picture of the proton, we find that $Q_r \lesssim 2.5\,{\rm GeV}$. We also quantify the impact of the non-linear terms for the longitudinal structure function at the Electron-Ion Collider and the Large Hadron Electron Collider and find that these measurements could provide stronger constraints on the projected effects.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2023

Illuminating the impact-parameter dependence of UPC dijet photoproduction

We present new NLO pQCD predictions for photoproduction of dijets in ultraperipheral PbPb collisions at 5.02 TeV with a realistic photon flux and up-to-date nuclear PDFs. Our calculation of the impact parameter dependence of the photon flux includes the effects of the nuclear form factor in the photon-emitting nucleus and the spatial dependence of nuclear PDFs of the target nucleus, which are estimated using the Wood-Saxon nuclear density profile. We show that a significant portion of the measured dijets at large $z_γ$ originate from events with impact parameters of the order of a few nuclear radii, and that the cross section predictions therefore become sensitive to the modelling of the nuclear geometry and photon flux close to the source nucleus.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2023

B-meson hadroproduction in the SACOT-$m_{\rm T}$ scheme

We apply the SACOT-$m_{\rm T}$ general-mass variable flavour number scheme (GM-VFNS) to the inclusive B-meson production in hadronic collisions at next-to-leading order in perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics. In the GM-VFNS approach one matches the fixed-order heavy-quark production cross sections, accurate at low transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$), with the zero-mass cross sections, accurate at high $p_{\rm T}$. The physics idea of the SACOT-$m_{\rm T}$ scheme is to do this by accounting for the finite momentum transfer required to create a heavy quark-antiquark pair throughout the calculation. We compare our results with the latest LHC data from proton-proton and proton-lead collisions finding a very good agreement within the estimated theoretical uncertainties. We discuss also scheme-related differences and their impact on the scale uncertainties.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

TUJU21: nuclear PDFs with electroweak-boson data at NNLO

Nuclear parton distribution functions (nPDFs) can be determined in a global QCD analysis using a wide range of experimental data. In addition to older fixed-target deep inelastic scattering and Drell-Yan (DY) dilepton production data, several analyses from p+Pb collisions at the LHC provide further constraints and extend the kinematic reach of applicable data. Here we present an update of our previous TUJU19 analysis where we now include also electroweak-boson production data recently measured by ATLAS and CMS. For the first time, LHC data are included in a nPDF analysis performed at next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) in perturbative QCD. As before, our setup is based on the open-source analysis framework xFitter and we fit our own proton baseline, ensuring a fully consistent setup. We find good agreement with the applied data and that the resulting $χ^2/N_{\mathrm{df}}$ is significantly smaller in case of the NNLO analysis (0.84) compared to our NLO analysis (0.94). Also, we present comparisons between our NNLO calculations and electroweak-boson production data in Pb+Pb collisions from ATLAS and CMS and DY data recently measured by CMS where NNLO corrections are found significant.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

NNLO nuclear parton distribution functions with electroweak-boson production data from the LHC

We present new sets of nuclear parton distribution functions (nPDFs) at next-to-leading order and next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative QCD. Our analyses are based on deeply inelastic scattering data with charged-lepton and neutrino beams on nuclear targets, and experimental data from measurements of $W^{\pm},\,Z$ boson production in p+Pb collisions at the LHC. In addition, a set of proton baseline PDFs is fitted within the same framework and with the same theoretical assumptions. The results of our global QCD analysis are compared to existing nPDF sets and to the previous nPDF set TUJU19 which was based on DIS data only. Our work is performed using an open-source tool, xFitter, and the required extensions of the code are discussed as well. We find good agreement with the data included in the fit and a lower value for $χ^2/N_{\mathrm{dp}}$ when performing the fit at next-to-next-to-leading order. We apply the resulting nuclear PDFs to electroweak-boson production in Pb+Pb collisions at the LHC and compare the results to the most recent data from ATLAS and CMS.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

A comprehensive guide to the physics and usage of PYTHIA 8.3

This manual describes the PYTHIA 8.3 event generator, the most recent version of an evolving physics tool used to answer fundamental questions in particle physics. The program is most often used to generate high-energy-physics collision "events", i.e. sets of particles produced in association with the collision of two incoming high-energy particles, but has several uses beyond that. The guiding philosophy is to produce and reproduce properties of experimentally obtained collisions as accurately as possible. The program includes a wide ranges of reactions within and beyond the Standard Model, and extending to heavy ion physics. Emphasis is put on phenomena where strong interactions play a major role. The manual contains both pedagogical and practical components. All included physics models are described in enough detail to allow the user to obtain a cursory overview of used assumptions and approximations, enabling an informed evaluation of the program output. A number of the most central algorithms are described in enough detail that the main results of the program can be reproduced independently, allowing further development of existing models or the addition of new ones. Finally, a chapter dedicated fully to the user is included towards the end, providing pedagogical examples of standard use cases, and a detailed description of a number of external interfaces. The program code, the online manual, and the latest version of this print manual can be found on the PYTHIA web page: https://www.pythia.org/

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Photoproduction of diffractive dijets in Pythia 8

The new framework for the simulations of hard diffractive events in photoproduction within Pythia 8 is presented. The model, originally introduced for proton-proton collisions, applies the dynamical rapidity gap survival probability based on the multiparton interaction model in Pythia. These additional interactions provide a natural explanation for the observed factorization-breaking effects in hard diffraction by filling up the rapidity gaps used to classify the events of diffractive origin. The generated cross sections are well in line with the existing data from HERA experiments and predictions for the future electron-ion collider are presented. In addition, also predictions for ultra-peripheral collisions at the LHC have been calculated where the factorization-breaking effects are found to be more pronounced.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Evidence of shadowing in inelastic nucleon-nucleon cross section

The Glauber modeling plays a key role in centrality-dependent measurements of heavy-ion collisions. A central input parameter in Glauber models is the inelastic nucleon-nucleon cross section $σ_{\text{nn}}^{\text{inel}}$ which is nearly always taken from proton-proton measurements. At the LHC energies $σ_{\text{nn}}^{\text{inel}}$ depends on the QCD dynamics at small $x$ and low interaction scales where the shadowing/saturation phenomena are expected to become relatively more important for larger nuclei than for the proton. Thus, $σ_{\text{nn}}^{\text{inel}}$ e.g. in Pb+Pb collisions may well be lower than what is seen in proton-proton collisions. In this talk, we demonstrate how to use the recent $W^\pm$ and $Z$ measurements as a "standard candle" to extract $σ_{\text{nn}}^{\text{inel}}$ in Pb+Pb collisions. Our analysis -- built on the ATLAS data, state-of-the-art NNLO QCD calculations and nuclear PDFs -- indicate that at the LHC energies $σ_{\text{nn}}^{\text{inel}}$ in Pb+Pb collisions is suppressed relative to the proton-proton measurements by tens of percents. We demonstrate that this is in line with expectations from nuclear PDFs.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

A QCD analysis of LHCb D-meson data in p+Pb collisions

We scrutinize the recent LHCb data for D$^0$-meson production in p+Pb collisions within a next-to-leading order QCD framework. Our calculations are performed in the SACOT-$m_{\rm T}$ variant of the general-mass variable-flavour-number scheme (GM-VFNS), which has previously been shown to provide a realistic description of the LHC p+p data. Using the EPPS16 and nCTEQ15 nuclear parton distribution functions (PDFs) we show that a very good agreement is obtained also in the p+Pb case both for cross sections and nuclear modification ratios in the wide rapidity range covered by the LHCb data. Encouraged by the good correspondence, we quantify the impact of these data on the nuclear PDFs by the Hessian reweighting technique. We find compelling direct evidence of gluon shadowing at small momentum fractions $x$, with no signs of parton dynamics beyond the collinear factorization. We also compare our theoretical framework to a fixed-order calculation supplemented with a parton shower. While the two frameworks differ in the absolute cross sections, these differences largely cancel in the nuclear modification ratios. Thus, the constraints for nuclear PDFs appear solid.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Shadowing in inelastic nucleon-nucleon cross section?

Experimental results of inclusive hard-process cross sections in heavy-ion collisions conventionally lean on a normalization computed from Glauber models where the inelastic nucleon-nucleon cross section $σ_{\rm nn}^{\rm inel}$ -- a crucial input parameter -- is simply taken from proton-proton measurements. In this letter, using the computed electro-weak boson production cross sections in lead-lead collisions as a benchmark, we determine $σ_{\rm nn}^{\rm inel}$ from the recent ATLAS data. We find a significantly suppressed $σ_{\rm nn}^{\rm inel}$ relative to what is usually assumed, show the consequences for the centrality dependence of the cross sections, and address the phenomenon in an eikonal minijet model with nuclear shadowing.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Impact of dijet and D-meson data from 5.02 TeV p+Pb collisions on nuclear PDFs

We discuss the new constraints on gluon parton distribution function (PDF) in lead nucleus, derivable with the Hessian PDF reweighting method from the 5.02 TeV p+Pb measurements of dijet (CMS) and $D^0$-meson (LHCb) nuclear modification ratios. The impact is found to be significant, placing stringent constraints in the mid- and previously unconstrained small-$x$ regions. The CMS dijet data confirm the existence of gluon anti-shadowing and the onset of small-$x$ shadowing, as well as reduce the gluon PDF uncertainties in the larger-$x$ region. The gluon constraints from the LHCb $D^0$ data, reaching down to $x \sim 10^{-5}$ and derived in a NLO perturbative QCD approach, provide a remarkable reduction of the small-$x$ uncertainties with a strong direct evidence of gluon shadowing. Furthermore, we find a good description of the data even down to zero $D^0$-meson transverse momentum within a purely DGLAP-based approach without a need for imposing any non-linear effects. Importantly, the constraints obtained from the dijet and $D^0$ data are mutually fully consistent, supporting the universality of nuclear PDFs in hard-scattering processes.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Open-source QCD analysis of nuclear parton distribution functions at NLO and NNLO

We present new sets of nuclear parton distribution functions (nPDFs) at next-to-leading order (NLO) and next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO). Our analyses are based on deeply inelastic scattering data with charged-lepton and neutrino beams on nuclear targets. In addition, a set of proton baseline PDFs is fitted within the same framework with the same theoretical assumptions. The results of this global QCD analysis are compared to existing nPDF sets and to the fitted cross sections. Also, the uncertainties resulting from the limited constraining power of the included experimental data are presented. The published work is based on an open-source tool, xFitter, which has been modified to be applicable also for a nuclear PDF analysis. The required extensions of the code are discussed as well.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

A QCD analysis for nuclear PDFs at NNLO

A new QCD analysis for nuclear parton distribution functions (nPDFs) at next-to-leading order (NLO) and next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) is presented. The framework of the analysis, including the form of the parameterization as well as the included DIS data sets, are discussed. The results of this QCD analysis are compared to the existing nPDF sets and to the fitted data. The presented framework is based on an open-source tool, xFitter, which has been modified to be applicable also for a nuclear PDF analysis. The required modifications are covered as well. Finally, an outlook for the next developments of the QCD analysis for nuclear PDFs is given.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Double D-meson production in proton-proton and proton-lead collisions at the LHC

We consider the simultaneous production of two heavy-flavoured hadrons - particularly D mesons - at the LHC. We base our calculations on collinearly factorized QCD at next-to-leading order, using the contemporary parton distribution functions and D-meson fragmentation functions. The contributions of double-parton scatterings are included in the approximation of independent partonic interactions. Our framework benchmarks well with the available proton-proton data from the LHCb collaboration giving us confidence to make predictions for proton-lead collisions. Our results indicate that the double D-meson production in proton-lead collisions should be measurable at the LHCb kinematics with the already collected Run-II data, and should provide evidence for double-parton scattering at perturbative scales with a nuclear target.

hep-ph↗