arXiv subjects

Jonathan R. Gaunt

Publications and source records attributed to Jonathan R. Gaunt.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Soft functions for generalised angularity event shapes at NNLO

We consider a class of dijet event shapes which tend to angularity in the forward limit. The factorisation formula for this class of event shapes differs from angularity only in the soft function. The NNLO soft function of an event shape in this class is therefore the only missing ingredient required for NNLL' resummation. We describe a modular approach to the calculation of the soft function for any event shape in this class, at NLO and NNLO. Much of the structure of the soft function can be written in terms of a single rapidity integral. The remainder can be computed as a three-dimensional numerical integral for which we provide a code. To demonstrate the flexibility of our approach, we compute the NNLO soft function for three new families of event shapes in this class. Potential applications include the investigation of hadronisation effects at future $e^+ e^-$ colliders, or through the re-analysis of archived data.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2026

Collinear Factorization Violation and Reggeization

We derive an all-order soft-collinear subgraph factorization in the space-like collinear limits of amplitudes for single gluon pinched in the Glauber region. We show that these contributions exhibit Reggeization, combining aspects of both forward and hard scattering. By deforming away from the Glauber region wherever possible we demonstrate a dramatic simplification of the effective theory subgraphs and thereby drastically reducing the complexity in computing collinear factorization breaking terms in multi-point amplitudes. Our work is aided with development of new software tools initiating a systematic study of processes involving Glauber exchanges at a multi-loop level.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Analytical results for the C-angularity soft function at NNLO

We compute the soft function at NLO and NNLO for a one-parameter family of event shapes we call C-angularity. This family contains C-parameter as a specific choice of the parameter, in close analogy with how conventional angularity contains thrust as a special case. By construction, C-angularity and angularity coincide in the collinear limit such that the anomalous dimensions are equal. However, unlike angularity, C-angularity is a continuously differentiable function of the final state momenta, which makes the analytic calculation of the C-angularity soft function simpler. We obtain analytical results for the C-angularity soft function and anomalous dimension as an expansion in the C-angularity parameter $a$, to third and fourth order in $a$ respectively. These expansions yield results that are accurate at the few per mille level for $-1\le a < 1$.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

FeynCraft: A Game of Feynman Diagrams

FeynCraft is a browser-based game that is designed to teach players the particle interactions of the Standard Model of particle physics, and how to link these interactions together to produce valid Feynman diagrams. It is primarily targeted at undergraduates and lecturers in introductory courses in particle physics, but we anticipate that it should also be useful for school pupils and teachers studying the basics of particle physics, and perhaps also current researchers. Users may draw particle lines and link them together to form vertices and complete diagrams, and FeynCraft determines invalid vertices using a sequence of simple rules, showing users which vertices are invalid and why. Diagrams may be drawn that involve both fundamental Standard Model particles and hadrons (where hadrons are represented by their constituent quark content). Users can also be presented with a process for which they must draw valid Feynman diagrams -- FeynCraft is able to generate such 'problems' at random, but there is also the facility to create, share, import and solve curated sets of problems. Alternatively, one is able to specify the process, and ask FeynCraft itself to generate the Feynman diagrams. Finally, we include several overlay options that give more information on a Feynman diagram (e.g. QCD colour flow, interaction strengths), and the option to export a drawn diagram as LaTeX code.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2025

Improving on the Pythia modelling of equal-scale multi-parton distribution functions

Multi-parton distribution functions (mPDFs) are non-perturbative objects that are important in the prediction of multiple scattering rates at hadron colliders. In the case where the scales associated with all partons in the mPDF are the same, we have two theoretical constraints on the mPDF. These are symmetry in exchange of the parton indices, and the number and momentum sum rules. In a previous publication (arXiv:2208.08197) we found that the equal-scale mPDFs from the Pythia model could not satisfy both of these constraints simultaneously. In this paper we introduce an algorithm for constructing equal-scale mPDFs that is based on the Pythia procedure but has three additional modifications, such that it yields symmetric mPDFs that should satisfy the sum rules to an improved extent. We test the construction for the case of the double and triple parton distribution functions (dPDFs and tPDFs), finding that the sum rules are obeyed to within 10% over the vast majority of the phase space for the scales tested (and deviations only being mildly above this level). We use our dPDFs to compute rapidity asymmetries for same-sign WW and ZZ production via double parton scattering, and compare the results to predictions obtained using Pythia and the GS09 dPDFs of arXiv:0910.4347.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

The Drell-Yan Process at NNLL$^\prime$+NNLO using Rapidity Dependent Jet Vetoes

We present results for the Drell-Yan process $pp \to Z/γ^* + X \to l^+l^- + X$ in the presence of the rapidity dependent jet vetoes $\mathcal{T}_{Bj}$ and $\mathcal{T}_{Cj}.$ These observables provide a tighter veto at central rapidities than at forward rapidities. Our predictions contain a resummation of large logarithms of the veto scale over the hard scale, matched to fixed order in perturbation theory; we present results at both NLL$^\prime$+NLO and NNLL$^\prime$+NNLO. Uncertainty estimates are provided that contain both resummation and fixed-order uncertainties; we find that using a standard profile scale variation procedure for the former seems to underestimate the uncertainty, particularly at NLL$^\prime$+NLO. Consequently, we modify the procedure to avoid cancellation of scale variations between partonic channels, and verify that the uncertainties from this method are reasonable using a simplified version of the Theory Nuisance Parameter (TNP) method. We then find that the uncertainty decreases going from the NLL$^\prime$+NLO to the NNLL$^\prime$+NNLO predictions, and obtain an uncertainty at the level of $1-3\%$ in the NNLL$^\prime$+NNLO predictions when the veto scale is of $\mathcal{O}(10 \text{ GeV})$.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2023

On sum rules for double and triple parton distribution functions and Pythia's model of multiple parton interactions

Multi-parton distributions in a proton, the nonperturbative quantities needed to make predictions for multiple scattering rates, are poorly constrained from theory and data and must be modelled. All Monte Carlo event generators that simulate multiple parton interactions (e.g. Pythia) contain such a model of multi-parton PDFs. One important theoretical constraint for the case of double parton distributions is provided by the so-called number and momentum sum rules. In this paper we investigate to what extent the double parton distribution functions used in the Pythia event generator obey these sum rules. We also derive the number and momentum sum rules for the triple parton distribution functions and discuss how one can use the Pythia code to construct triple parton distribution functions which approximately satisfy these sum rules.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Quark and gluon two-loop beam functions for leading-jet $p_T$ and slicing at NNLO

We compute the complete set of two-loop beam functions for the transverse momentum distribution of the leading jet produced in association with an arbitrary colour-singlet system. Our results constitute the last missing ingredient for the calculation of the jet-vetoed cross section at small veto scales at the next-to-next-to-leading order, as well as an important ingredient for its resummation to next-to-next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic order. Our calculation is performed in the soft-collinear effective theory framework with a suitable regularisation of the rapidity divergences occurring in the phase-space integrals. We discuss the occurrence of soft-collinear mixing terms that might violate the factorisation theorem, and demonstrate that they are naturally absorbed into the beam functions at two loops in the exponential rapidity regularisation scheme when performing a multipole expansion of the measurement function. As in our recent computation of the two-loop soft function, we present the results as a Laurent expansion in the jet radius $R$. We provide analytic expressions for all flavour channels in $x$ space with the exception of a set of $R$-independent non-logarithmic terms that are given as numerical grids. We also perform a fully numerical calculation with exact $R$ dependence, and find that it agrees with our analytic expansion at the permyriad level or better. Our calculation allows us to define a next-to-next-to-leading order slicing method using the leading-jet $p_T$ as a slicing variable. As a check of our results, we carry out a calculation of the Higgs and $Z$ boson total production cross sections at the next-to-next-to-leading order in QCD.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

The analytic two-loop soft function for leading-jet $p_T$

We present the calculation of the two-loop soft function for the transverse momentum distribution of the leading jet produced in association with any colour-singlet system (e.g.~a Higgs or a $Z$ boson). This constitutes a central ingredient for the resummation of the above distribution as well as the jet-vetoed cross section at the next-to-next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic order, both of which play an important role in the precision physics programme at the Large Hadron Collider. The calculation is performed in soft-collinear effective theory with an appropriate regularisation of the rapidity divergences that occur in the phase-space integrals. We obtain analytic results by employing an exponential regulator and by taking a Laurent expansion in the jet radius $R$. All expressions are presented as ancillary files with this article.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Double parton distributions out of bounds in colour space

We investigate the positivity of double parton distributions with a non-trivial dependence on the parton colour. It turns out that positivity is not preserved by leading-order evolution from lower to higher scales, in contrast to the case in which parton colour is summed over. We also study the positivity properties of the distributions at small distance between the two partons, where they can be computed in terms of perturbative splitting kernels and ordinary parton densities.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Two-loop splitting in double parton distributions: the colour non-singlet case

At small inter-parton distances, double parton distributions receive their dominant contribution from the splitting of a single parton. We compute this mechanism at next-to-leading order in perturbation theory for all colour configurations of the observed parton pair. Rapidity divergences are handled either by using spacelike Wilson lines or by applying the delta regulator. We investigate the behaviour of the two-loop contributions in different kinematic limits, and we illustrate their impact in different channels.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Double parton distributions in the pion from lattice QCD

We perform a lattice study of double parton distributions in the pion, using the relationship between their Mellin moments and pion matrix elements of two local currents. A good statistical signal is obtained for almost all relevant Wick contractions. We investigate correlations in the spatial distribution of two partons in the pion, as well as correlations involving the parton polarisation. The patterns we observe depend significantly on the quark mass. We investigate the assumption that double parton distributions approximately factorise into a convolution of single parton distributions.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2020

Combining single and double parton scatterings in a parton shower

Double parton scattering (DPS) processes in which there is a perturbative $1\to2$ splitting in both protons overlap with loop corrections to single parton scattering (SPS). Any fundamental theoretical treatment of DPS needs to address this double-counting issue. In this paper, we augment our Monte-Carlo simulation of DPS, dShower, to be able to generate kinematic distributions corresponding to the combination SPS+DPS without double counting. To achieve this, we formulate a fully-differential version of the subtraction scheme introduced in Diehl et al. (JHEP 06 (2017) 083). A shower is attached to the subtraction term, and this is combined with the dShower DPS shower along with the usual SPS shower. We perform a proof-of-concept study of this new algorithm in the context of $\mathrm{Z}^0\mathrm{Z}^0$ production. Once the subtraction term is included, we verify that the results do not depend strongly on the artificial "DPS-SPS demarcation" scale $ν$. As part of the development of the new algorithm, we improve the kinematics of the $1\to2$ splitting in the DPS shower (and subtraction term), allowing the daughter partons to have a relative transverse momentum. Several reasonable choices for the transverse profile in the $1\to2$ splitting are studied. We find that many kinematic distributions are not strongly affected by the choice, although we do observe some differences in the region where the transverse momenta of both bosons are small.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Higgs Production at NNLL$'$+NNLO using Rapidity Dependent Jet Vetoes

The rapidity-dependent jet veto observables $\mathcal{T}_{Bj}$ and $\mathcal{T}_{Cj}$ provide a tight jet veto at central rapidity, gradually transitioning to a loose veto at forward rapidities. They divide the phase space into exclusive jet bins in a different way to the traditional jet veto observable $p_{Tj}$, and are advantageous to use under harsh pile-up conditions. We obtain predictions for the $0$-jet gluon-fusion (ggF) Higgs cross section using both of these veto observables at NNLL$'+$NNLO, and compare these predictions to the prior state-of-the-art of NLL$'+$NLO. A significant reduction in perturbative uncertainty is observed going from NLL$'+$NLO to NNLL$'+$NNLO, with the NNLL$'+$NNLO predictions lying inside the uncertainty band of the NLL$'+$NLO predictions. We also investigate the relative sensitivities of ggF Higgs cross sections with $\mathcal{T}_{Bj}$, $\mathcal{T}_{Cj}$ and $p_{Tj}$ jet vetoes to underlying event and hadronisation effects using an NLO+parton shower calculation. We find that the cross sections with $\mathcal{T}_{Bj}$ and $\mathcal{T}_{Cj}$ vetoes have a reduced sensitivity to underlying event and hadronisation effects compared to that with a $p_{Tj}$ veto.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Sum rule improved double parton distributions in position space

Models for double parton distributions that are realistic and consistent with theoretical constraints are crucial for a reliable description of double parton scattering. We show how an ansatz that has the correct behaviour in the limit of small transverse distance between the partons can be improved step by step, such as to fulfil the sum rules for double parton distributions with an accuracy around 10%.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

The Fully-Differential Gluon Beam Function at NNLO

The fully-differential beam function (dBF) is a universal ingredient in resummed predictions of hadron collider observables that probe the full kinematics of the incoming parton from each colliding proton -- the virtuality and transverse momentum as well as the light-cone momentum fraction $x$. In this paper we compute the matching coefficients between the unpolarized gluon dBF and the usual parton distribution functions (PDFs) at the two-loop order. For observables probing both the virtuality and transverse momentum of incoming gluons, our results provide the part of the NNLO singular cross section related to collinear initial-state radiation, and are required for the resummation of large logarithms through N$^3$LL. Further to this, the dBF is closely linked to the beam function appearing in a generalized version of threshold factorization, via a simple integration. By performing this integration for the two-loop gluon matching coefficients, we also obtain the corresponding quantities for the generalized threshold beam function.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Two-Loop Beam and Soft Functions for Rapidity-Dependent Jet Vetoes

Jet vetoes play an important role in many analyses at the LHC. Traditionally, jet vetoes have been imposed using a restriction on the transverse momentum $p_{Tj}$ of jets. Alternatively, one can also consider jet observables for which $p_{Tj}$ is weighted by a smooth function of the jet rapidity $y_j$ that vanishes as $|y_j| \to \infty$. Such observables are useful as they provide a natural way to impose a tight veto on central jets but a looser one at forward rapidities. We consider two such rapidity-dependent jet veto observables, $\mathcal{T}_{Bj}$ and $\mathcal{T}_{Cj}$, and compute the required beam and dijet soft functions for the jet-vetoed color-singlet production cross section at two loops. At this order, clustering effects from the jet algorithm become important. The dominant contributions are computed fully analytically while corrections that are subleading in the limit of small jet radii are expressed in terms of finite numerical integrals. Our results enable the full NNLL' resummation and are an important step towards N3LL resummation for cross sections with a $\mathcal{T}_{Bj}$ or $\mathcal{T}_{Cj}$ jet veto.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

A Monte-Carlo Simulation of Double Parton Scattering

In this work, a new Monte-Carlo simulation of double parton scattering (DPS) at parton level is presented. The simulation is based on the QCD framework developed recently by M. Diehl, J. R. Gaunt and K. Schönwald. With this framework, the dynamics of the $1\to2$ perturbative splittings is consistently included inside the simulation, with the impact-parameter dependence taken into account. The simulation evolves simultaneously two hard systems from a common hard scale down to the hadronic scale. The evolution is performed using an angular-ordered parton shower which is combined with a set of double parton distributions that depend explicitly on the inter-parton distance. An illustrative study is performed in the context of same-sign WW production at the LHC, with the quark content of the proton being limited to three flavours. In several distributions we see differences compared to DPS models in Herwig, Pythia, and the DPS "pocket formula".

hep-ph↗