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Joey Huston

Publications and source records attributed to Joey Huston.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Les Houches study on inclusive jet production at NNLO+NNLL

Jet production at the LHC is a powerful probe of QCD, making it ideal for precision tests and determinations of QCD parameters such as parton distribution functions and the strong coupling constant. To make the most of the abundant jet production data collected at the LHC, precise calculations are required. While state-of-the-art calculations reach next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) QCD accuracy, a critical assessment of the remaining uncertainties arising from non-perturbative effects and missing higher orders remains crucial for correctly interpreting comparisons between theory and data. Scale variation is nearly always used to determine effects from missing higher orders. In this article, we reassess this method in the context of inclusive jet production by performing NNLO QCD calculations supplemented by small-jet-radius resummation through next-to-next-to-leading-logarithmic accuracy (NNLL). We find that NNLL resummation can have an appreciable impact on the scale uncertainty for inclusive jet cross sections, and, for some scale choices, can lead to sizeable shifts of the central cross section. We conclude that scale variations in fixed-order and resummed calculations can drastically underestimate the impact of higher orders for commonly used jet radius parameters, and that missing higher-order estimates obtained via scale variations should be considered unreliable. Our findings add further evidence to the importance of going beyond scale variations in jet and jet substructure calculations.

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arXiv2026

QED Effects in PDFs -- A Les Houches Comparison Study

In the last decade, and even more so in the last few years, our knowledge of the internal structure of the proton has become more accurate and precise thanks to the large amount of data available and developments in theory and methodology. The reduction of the uncertainties associated to these developments has brought previously neglected effects into focus as their typical magnitude are competitive with the size of the uncertainties. One such effect is the inclusion of QED into PDF fits. Typically this is a percent effect, and thus while theoretically important, it has had a relatively limited impact on phenomenological studies up to this point. In this proceeding we study some of the effects which, while peripheral to the inclusion of QED in the proton, can considerably change the relative size and shape of the QCD+QED fit with respect to the QCD only determination. These may become important in the future as precision continues to increase. After a comparison of the QCD+QED PDFs with the QCD only PDFs of various global PDF fitting groups, we focus largely upon NNPDF4.0, which shows the biggest effect when including QED. Focusing largely on a single set of PDFs also enables more subtle effects to be analysed, making it an ideal candidate for this study.

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arXiv2025

Strong Coupling Constant Determination from the new CTEQ-TEA Global QCD Analysis

We present a new determination of the strong coupling constant $\alpha_s$ from a global QCD analysis CT25 of parton distribution functions (PDFs) that incorporates high-precision experimental measurements from the Run-2 of the Large Hadron Collider together with a large sample of other measurements over a wide interval of energies. This work addresses two objectives: providing an up-to-date determination of $\alpha_s$ using NNLO calculations and a sensitive nucleon data set within a self-consistent framework, and critically assessing the robustness of the $\alpha_s(M_Z)$ extraction in light of systematic uncertainties as well as correlations of $\alpha_s(M_Z)$ with the functional forms of PDFs and other model parameters. In regard to the uncertainty assessment, we demonstrate that some commonly used criteria, including the dynamical tolerance and Bayesian hierarchical models, may produce significantly different or even unstable estimates for the net $\alpha_s$ uncertainty, and we introduce a concept of \textit{data-clustering safety} that the replicable uncertainty estimates must satisfy. Based on this in-depth examination of the CT25 global hadronic data set using a combination of analysis methods, and after demonstrating a weak correlation between $\alpha_s$ and the functional forms of CT25 PDF parametrizations, we find $\alpha_s(M_Z)=0.1183^{+0.0023}_{-0.0020}$ at the 68\% credibility level.

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arXiv2025

Theory uncertainties of the irreducible background to VBF Higgs production

Higgs boson production through gluon fusion in association with two jets is an irreducible background to Higgs boson production through vector boson fusion, one of the most important channels for analyzing and understanding the Higgs boson properties at the Large Hadron Collider. Despite a range of available simulation tools, precise predictions for the corresponding final states are notoriously hard to achieve. Using state-of-the-art fixed-order calculations as the baseline for a comparison, we perform a detailed study of similarities and differences in existing event generators. We provide consistent setups for the simulations that can be used to obtain identical parametric precision in various programs used by experiments. We find that NLO calculations for the two-jet final state are essential to achieve reliable predictions.

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arXiv2025

QED-enhanced PDF implications for the Higgs sector

In this work, we examine the implications of electroweak corrections beyond leading order for processes of special interest in the Higgs sector. We especially explore the role of these corrections given the introduction of an explicit parton distribution function (PDF) for the photon in the proton, an object which emerges necessarily in global PDF fits which include QED effects (i.e., QED-enhanced PDFs). We concentrate on several representative cases, including total Higgs-production cross sections through gluon fusion, $gg \to H$, vector-boson fusion (VBFH), and associated production, $pp \to VH$; we also examine differential distributions, taking a representative Higgs-strahlung process, $pp \to W^+H$. We find that the recently developed LUX formalism for the photon PDF significantly stabilizes the PDF dependence of both QED-PDF and electroweak corrections in the Higgs sector, while leaving overall $\sim\!3\!-\!4\%$ cross-section-level variations, depending on the chosen QED-enhanced PDF. We illustrate this QED-enhanced PDF dependence by exploring predictions based upon recent analyses of the CTEQ-TEA, MSHT, and NNPDF analysis groups, fitted either at NNLO or approximate N3LO in QCD.

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arXiv2025

Flavoured jet algorithms: a comparative study

The accurate identification of heavy-flavour jets, those which originate from bottom or charm quarks, is crucial for precision studies of the Standard Model and searches for new physics. However, assigning flavour to jets presents significant challenges, primarily due to issues with infrared and collinear (IRC) safety. This paper aims to address these challenges by evaluating recently-proposed jet algorithms designed to be IRC-safe and applicable in high-precision measurements. We compare these algorithms across benchmark heavy-flavour production processes and kinematic regimes that are relevant for LHC phenomenology. Exploiting both fixed-order calculations in QCD as well as parton shower simulations, we analyse the infrared sensitivity of these new algorithms at different stages of the event evolution and compare to flavour-labelling strategies currently adopted by LHC collaborations. The results highlight that, while all algorithms lead to more robust flavour-assignments compared to current techniques, they vary in performance depending on the observable and energy regime. The study lays groundwork for robust, flavour-aware jet analyses in current and future collider experiments to maximise the physics potential of experimental data by reducing discrepancies between theoretical and experimental methods.

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arXiv2025

Les Houches 2023 -- Physics at TeV Colliders: Report on the Standard Model Precision Wishlist

Les Houches returned to an in-person format in 2023 and the bi-yearly tradition of updating the standard model precision wishlist has continued. In this work we review recent progress (since Les Houches 2021) in fixed-order computations for LHC applications. In addition, necessary ingredients for such calculations such as parton distribution functions, amplitudes, and subtraction methods are discussed. Finally, we indicate processes and missing higher-order corrections that are required to reach the theoretical accuracy that matches the anticipated experimental precision.

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arXiv2024

The impact of LHC precision measurements of inclusive jet and dijet production on the CTEQ-TEA global PDF fit

In this study, we investigate the impact of new LHC inclusive jet and dijet measurements on parton distribution functions (PDFs) that describe the proton structure, with a particular focus on the gluon distribution at large momentum fraction, $x$, and the corresponding partonic luminosities. We assess constraints from these datasets using next-to-next-to-leading-order (NNLO) theoretical predictions, accounting for a range of uncertainties from scale dependence and numerical integration. From the scale choices available for the calculations, our analysis shows that the central predictions for inclusive jet production show a smaller scale dependence than dijet production. We examine the relative constraints on the gluon distribution provided by the inclusive jet and dijet distributions and also explore the phenomenological implications for inclusive $H$, $t\bar{t}$, and $t\bar{t}H$ production at the LHC at 14 TeV.

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arXiv2023

Quantum Chromodynamics

This article is part of the "Review of Particle Physics" by the Particle Data Group and reviews the current status of quantum chromodynamics and the strong coupling constant $\alpha_s$. The latest updates as of August 2023 are included.

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arXiv2023

Quantifying the interplay of experimental constraints in analyses of parton distributions

Parton distribution functions (PDFs) play a central role in calculations for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). To gain a deeper understanding of the emergence and interplay of constraints on the PDFs in the global QCD analyses, it is important to examine the relative significance and mutual compatibility of the experimental data sets included in the PDF fits. Toward this goal, we discuss the L2 sensitivity, a convenient statistical indicator for exploring the statistical pulls of individual data sets on the best-fit PDFs and identifying tensions between competing data sets. Unlike the Lagrange Multiplier method, the L2 sensitivity can be quickly computed for a range of PDFs and momentum fractions using the published Hessian error sets. We employ the L2 sensitivity as a common metric to study the relative importance of data sets in the recent ATLAS, CTEQ-TEA, MSHT, and reduced PDF4LHC21 PDF analyses at NNLO and approximate N3LO. We illustrate how this method can aid the users of PDFs to identify data sets that are important for a PDF at a given kinematic point, to study quark flavor composition and other detailed features of the PDFs, and to compare the data pulls on the PDFs for various perturbative orders and functional forms. We also address the feasibility of computing the sensitivities using Monte Carlo error PDFs. Together with the article, we present a companion interactive website with a large collection of plotted L2 sensitivities for eight recent PDF releases.

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arXiv2023

The persistent nonperturbative charm enigma

The question of the existence and possible magnitude of nonperturbative (often called "intrinsic") charm in the proton has long confounded attempts to cleanly isolate such a contribution in global analyses of high-energy experiments. In this letter, we show that the available (non)perturbative QCD theory and hadronic data have still not developed to a sufficient level to clearly resolve this problem. We highlight a number of challenging aspects that must be confronted in extracting nonperturbative charm in PDF fits, and in so doing, present an updated next-to-next-to-leading order CT analysis of fitted charm, CT18 FC, which we also compare to recent studies. We outline the theory developments and future data needed to make progress on this subject.

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arXiv2023

Parton distributions need representative sampling

In global QCD fits of parton distribution functions (PDFs), a large part of the estimated uncertainty on the PDFs originates from the choices of parametric functional forms and fitting methodology. We argue that these types of uncertainties can be underestimated with common PDF ensembles in high-stake measurements at the Large Hadron Collider and Tevatron. A fruitful approach to quantify these uncertainties is to view them as arising from sampling of allowed PDF solutions in a multidimensional parametric space. This approach applies powerful insights gained in recent statistical studies of large-scale population surveys and quasi-Monte Carlo integration methods. In particular, PDF fits may be affected by the big data paradox, which stipulates that more experimental data do not automatically raise the accuracy of PDFs -- close attention to the data quality and sampling of possible PDF solutions is as essential. To test if the sampling of the PDF uncertainty of an experimental observable is truly representative of all acceptable solutions, we introduce a technique (``a hopscotch scan'') based on a combination of parameter scans and stochastic sampling. With this technique, we show that the PDF uncertainty on key LHC cross sections at 13 TeV obtained with the public NNPDF4.0 fitting code is larger than the nominal uncertainty obtained with the published NNPDF4.0 Monte-Carlo replica sets, when accounting for the likelihood distribution. On the same grounds, the uncertainties on the charm distribution at a large momentum fraction $x$ and gluon PDF at small $x$ are enlarged. In PDF ensembles obtained in the analytic minimization (Hessian) formalism, the tolerance on the PDF uncertainty must be based on sufficiently complete sampling of PDF functional forms and choices of the experiments.

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arXiv2022

The PDF4LHC21 combination of global PDF fits for the LHC Run III

A precise knowledge of the quark and gluon structure of the proton, encoded by the parton distribution functions (PDFs), is of paramount importance for the interpretation of high-energy processes at present and future lepton-hadron and hadron-hadron colliders. Motivated by recent progress in the PDF determinations carried out by the CT, MSHT, and NNPDF groups, we present an updated combination of global PDF fits: PDF4LHC21. It is based on the Monte Carlo combination of the CT18, MSHT20, and NNPDF3.1 sets followed by either its Hessian reduction or its replica compression. Extensive benchmark studies are carried out in order to disentangle the origin of the differences between the three global PDF sets. In particular, dedicated fits based on almost identical theory settings and input datasets are performed by the three groups, highlighting the role played by the respective fitting methodologies. We compare the new PDF4LHC21 combination with its predecessor, PDF4LHC15, demonstrating their good overall consistency and a modest reduction of PDF uncertainties for key LHC processes such as electroweak gauge boson production and Higgs boson production in gluon fusion. We study the phenomenological implications of PDF4LHC21 for a representative selection of inclusive, fiducial, and differential cross sections at the LHC. The PDF4LHC21 combination is made available via the LHAPDF library and provides a robust, user-friendly, and efficient method to estimate the PDF uncertainties associated to theoretical calculations for the upcoming Run III of the LHC and beyond.

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arXiv2022

NNLO constraints on proton PDFs from the SeaQuest and STAR experiments and other developments in the CTEQ-TEA global analysis

We review progress in the global QCD analysis by the CTEQ-TEA group since the publication of CT18 parton distribution functions (PDFs) in the proton. Specifically, we discuss comparisons of CT18 NNLO predictions with the LHC 13 TeV measurements as well as with the FNAL SeaQuest and BNL STAR data on lepton pair production. The specialized CT18X PDFs approximating saturation effects are compared with the CT18sx PDFs obtained using NLL/NLO small-$x$ resummation. Short summaries are presented for the special CT18 parton distributions with fitted charm and with lattice QCD inputs. A recent comparative analysis of the impact of deuteron nuclear effects on the parton distributions by the CTEQ-JLab and CTEQ-TEA groups is summarized.

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arXiv2020

An exploratory study of the impact of CMS double-differential top distributions on the gluon parton distribution function

LHC $t\bar{t}$ data have the potential to provide constraints on the gluon distribution, especially at high $x$, with both ATLAS and CMS performing differential measurements. Recently, CMS has measured double-differential $t\bar{t}$ distributions at 8 TeV. In this paper we examine the impact of this data set on the gluon distribution. To that end we develop novel, double-differential NNLO predictions for that data. No significant impact is found when the CMS data is added to the CT14HERA2 global PDF fit, due to the larger impact of the inclusive jet data from both the Tevatron and the LHC. If the jet data are removed from the fit, then an impact is observed. If the CMS data is scaled by a larger weight, representing the greater statistical power of the jet data, a roughly equal impact on the gluon distribution is observed for the $t\bar{t}$ as for the inclusive jet data. For data samples with higher integrated luminosity at 13 TeV, a more significant impact of the double-differential $t\bar{t}$ data may be observed.

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arXiv2020

New CTEQ global analysis of quantum chromodynamics with high-precision data from the LHC

We present the new parton distribution functions (PDFs) from the CTEQ-TEA collaboration, obtained using a wide variety of high-precision Large Hadron Collider (LHC) data, in addition to the combined HERA I+II deep-inelastic scattering data set, along with the data sets present in the CT14 global QCD analysis. New LHC measurements in single-inclusive jet production with the full rapidity coverage, as well as production of Drell-Yan pairs, top-quark pairs, and high-$p_T$ $Z$ bosons, are included to achieve the greatest sensitivity to the PDFs. The parton distributions are determined at NLO and NNLO, with each of these PDFs accompanied by error sets determined using the Hessian method. Fast PDF survey techniques, based on the Hessian representation and the Lagrange Multiplier method, are used to quantify the preference of each data set to quantities such as $α_s(m_Z)$, and the gluon and strange quark distributions. We designate the main resulting PDF set as CT18. The ATLAS 7 TeV precision $W/Z$ data are not included in CT18, due to their tension with other data sets in the global fit. Alternate PDF sets are generated including the ATLAS precision 7 TeV $W/Z$ data (CT18A), a new scale choice for low-$x$ DIS data (CT18X), or all of the above with a slightly higher choice for the charm mass (CT18Z). Theoretical calculations of standard candle cross sections at the LHC (such as the $gg$ fusion Higgs boson cross section) are presented.

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arXiv2019

New CTEQ Global Analysis with High Precision Data from the LHC

We present the new CTEQ-TEA global analysis of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). In this analysis, parton distribution functions (PDFs) of the nucleon are determined within the Hessian method at the next-to-next-to leading order (NNLO) in perturbative QCD, based on the most recent measurements from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and a variety of world collider data. Because of difficulties in fitting both the ATLAS 7 and 8 TeV $W$ and $Z$ vector boson production cross section data, we present two families of PDFs, named CT18 and CT18$Z$ PDFs, respectively, without and with the ATLAS 7 TeV $W$ and $Z$ measurements. We study the impact of the CT18 family of PDFs on the theoretical predictions of standard candle cross sections at the LHC.

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