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L. Magnea

Publications and source records attributed to L. Magnea.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2019

Diagrammatic resummation of leading-logarithmic threshold effects at next-to-leading power

Perturbative cross-sections in QCD are beset by logarithms of kinematic invariants, whose arguments vanish when heavy particles are produced near threshold. Contributions of this type often need to be summed to all orders in the coupling, in order to improve the behaviour of the perturbative expansion, and it has long been known how to do this at leading power in the threshold variable, using a variety of approaches. Recently, the problem of extending this resummation to logarithms suppressed by a single power of the threshold variable has received considerable attention. In this paper, we show that such next-to-leading power (NLP) contributions can indeed be resummed, to leading logarithmic (LL) accuracy, for any QCD process with a colour-singlet final state, using a direct generalisation of the diagrammatic methods available at leading power. We compare our results with other approaches, and comment on the implications for further generalisations beyond leading-logarithmic accuracy.

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arXiv2018

Non-abelian factorisation for next-to-leading-power threshold logarithms

Soft and collinear radiation is responsible for large corrections to many hadronic cross sections, near thresholds for the production of heavy final states. There is much interest in extending our understanding of this radiation to next-to-leading power (NLP) in the threshold expansion. In this paper, we generalise a previously proposed all-order NLP factorisation formula to include non-abelian corrections. We define a non-abelian radiative jet function, organising collinear enhancements at NLP, and compute it for quark jets at one loop. We discuss in detail the issue of double counting between soft and collinear regions. Finally, we verify our prescription by reproducing all NLP logarithms in Drell-Yan production up to NNLO, including those associated with double real emission. Our results constitute an important step in the development of a fully general resummation formalism for NLP threshold effects.

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arXiv2017

Universality of next-to-leading power threshold effects for colourless final states in hadronic collisions

We consider the production of an arbitrary number of colour-singlet particles near partonic threshold, and show that next-to-leading order cross sections for this class of processes have a simple universal form at next-to-leading power (NLP) in the energy of the emitted gluon radiation. Our analysis relies on a recently derived factorisation formula for NLP threshold effects at amplitude level, and therefore applies both if the leading-order process is tree-level and if it is loop-induced. It holds for differential distributions as well. The results can furthermore be seen as applications of recently derived next-to-soft theorems for gauge theory amplitudes. We use our universal expression to re-derive known results for the production of up to three Higgs bosons at NLO in the large top mass limit, and for the hadro-production of a pair of electroweak gauge bosons. Finally, we present new analytic results for Higgs boson pair production at NLO and NLP, with exact top-mass dependence.

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arXiv2015

A factorization approach to next-to-leading-power threshold logarithms

Threshold logarithms become dominant in partonic cross sections when the selected final state forces gluon radiation to be soft or collinear. Such radiation factorizes at the level of scattering amplitudes, and this leads to the resummation of threshold logarithms which appear at leading power in the threshold variable. In this paper, we consider the extension of this factorization to include effects suppressed by a single power of the threshold variable. Building upon the Low-Burnett-Kroll-Del Duca (LBKD) theorem, we propose a decomposition of radiative amplitudes into universal building blocks, which contain all effects ultimately responsible for next-to-leading power (NLP) threshold logarithms in hadronic cross sections for electroweak annihilation processes. In particular, we provide a NLO evaluation of the "radiative jet function", responsible for the interference of next-to-soft and collinear effects in these cross sections. As a test, using our expression for the amplitude, we reproduce all abelian-like NLP threshold logarithms in the NNLO Drell-Yan cross section, including the interplay of real and virtual emissions. Our results are a significant step towards developing a generally applicable resummation formalism for NLP threshold effects, and illustrate the breakdown of next-to-soft theorems for gauge theory amplitudes at loop level.

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arXiv2006

Les Houches Physics at TeV Colliders 2005, Standard Model and Higgs working group: Summary report

This Report summarises the activities of the "SM and Higgs" working group for the Workshop "Physics at TeV Colliders", Les Houches, France, 2-20 May, 2005. On the one hand, we performed a variety of experimental and theoretical studies on standard candles (such as W, Z, and ttbar production), treating them either as proper signals of known physics, or as backgrounds to unknown physics; we also addressed issues relevant to those non-perturbative or semi-perturbative ingredients, such as Parton Density Functions and Underlying Events, whose understanding will be crucial for a proper simulation of the actual events taking place in the detectors. On the other hand, several channels for the production of the Higgs, or involving the Higgs, have been considered in some detail. The report is structured into four main parts. The first one deals with Standard Model physics, except the Higgs. A variety of arguments are treated here, from full simulation of processes constituting a background to Higgs production, to studies of uncertainties due to PDFs and to extrapolations of models for underlying events, from small-$x$ issues to electroweak corrections which may play a role in vector boson physics. The second part of the report treats Higgs physics from the point of view of the signal. In the third part, reviews are presented on the current status of multi-leg, next-to-leading order and of next-to-next-to-leading order QCD computations. Finally, the fourth part deals with the use of Monte Carlos for simulation of LHC physics.

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arXiv2005

Parton Distributions: Summary Report

We provide an assessment of the impact of parton distributions on the determination of LHC processes, and of the accuracy with which parton distributions (PDFs) can be extracted from data, in particular from current and forthcoming HERA experiments. We give an overview of reference LHC processes and their associated PDF uncertainties, and study in detail W and Z production at the LHC. We discuss the precision which may be obtained from the analysis of existing HERA data, tests of consistency of HERA data from different experiments, and the combination of these data. We determine further improvements on PDFs which may be obtained from future HERA data (including measurements of $F_L$), and from combining present and future HERA data with present and future hadron collider data. We review the current status of knowledge of higher (NNLO) QCD corrections to perturbative evolution and deep-inelastic scattering, and provide reference results for their impact on parton evolution, and we briefly examine non-perturbative models for parton distributions. We discuss the state-of-the art in global parton fits, we assess the impact on them of various kinds of data and of theoretical corrections, by providing benchmarks of Alekhin and MRST parton distributions and a CTEQ analysis of parton fit stability, and we briefly presents proposals for alternative approaches to parton fitting. We summarize the status of large and small x resummation, by providing estimates of the impact of large x resummation on parton fits, and a comparison of different approaches to small x resummation, for which we also discuss numerical techniques.

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arXiv2004

Les Houches 'Physics at Tev Colliders 2003' QCD/SM Working Group: Summary Report

This report documents the results obtained by the Working Group on Quantum Chromodynamics and the Standard Model for the Workshop `Physics at TeV Colliders'', Les Houches, France, 26 May - 6 June 2003. After a Monte Guide description, the first contributions report on progress in describing multiple interactions, important for the LHC, and underlying events. An announcement of a Monte Carlo database, under construction, is then followed by a number of contributions improving parton shower descriptions. Subsequently, a large number of contributions address resummations in various forms, after which follow studies of QCD effects in pion pair, top quark pair and photon pair plus jet production. After a study of electroweak corrections to hadronic precision observables, the report ends by presenting recent progress in methods to compute finite order corrections at one-loop with many legs, and at two-loop.

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arXiv2002

A determination of alpha_s from scaling violations with truncated moments

We describe a determination of the strong coupling alpha_s(M_Z) from scaling violations of the nonsinglet DIS structure function, which is based on two novel techniques aimed at controlling and minimizing the theoretical error: a neural network parametrization of BCDMS and NMC data, and QCD evolution by means of truncated Mellin moments.

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arXiv2002

The QCD/SM Working Group: Summary Report

This Report documents the results obtained by the Working Group on Quantum ChromoDynamics and the Standard Model for the Workshop ``Physics at TeV Colliders'', Les Houches, France, 21 May - 1 June 2001. The account of uncertainties in Parton Distribution Functions is reviewed. Progresses in the description of multiparton final states at Next-to-Leading Order and the extension of calculations for precision QCD observables beyond this order are summarized. Various issues concerning the relevance of resummation for observables at TeV colliders is examined. Improvements to algorithms of jet reconstruction are discussed and predictions for diphoton and photon pi-zero production at the LHC are made for kinematic variables of interest regarding searches for a Higgs boson decaying into two photons. Finally, several improvements implemented in Monte-Carlo event generators are documented.

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arXiv2000

QCD

We discuss issues of QCD at the LHC including parton distributions, Monte Carlo event generators, the available next-to-leading order calculations, resummation, photon production, small x physics, double parton scattering, and backgrounds to Higgs production.

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arXiv1997

Phenomenology of Power Corrections in Fragmentation Processes in e^+ e^- Annihilation

We analyse power corrections to longitudinal and transverse fragmentation processes in e^+ e^- annihilation, based on the assumption of ultraviolet dominance of power corrections. Under this assumption, we determine the dependence of power corrections on the scaling variable x from the infrared renormalon asymptotics of leading power coefficient functions. Our results suggest that the longitudinal and transverse gluon fragmentation coefficient functions receive corrections of order 1/(x Q)^2. The power expansion breaks down at x<Λ/Q and has to be resummed. This resummation leads to 1/Q corrections to the longitudinal and transverse cross section, which cancel for the total cross section. We provide a simple parametrization of the x dependence of 1/Q^2 corrections to fragmentation processes and investigate perturbative corrections to the longitudinal cross section in higher orders, in view of a determination of the strong coupling.

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arXiv1996

The field theory limit of multiloop string amplitudes

We report on recent progress in the use of string techniques for the computation of field theory amplitudes. We show how one-loop renormalization constants in Yang-Mills theory can be computed using the open spinning string, we review the calculation of two-loop scalar amplitudes with the bosonic string, and we briefly indicate how the technique can be applied to the two-loop vacuum bubbles of Yang-Mills theory.

hep-th↗
arXiv1996

On the infrared sensitivity of the longitudinal cross section in $e^+ e^-$ annihilation

We have calculated the contributions proportional to $β_0^nα_s^{n+1}$ to the longitudinal fragmentation function in $e^+e^-$ annihilation to all orders of perturbation theory. We use this result to estimate higher-order perturbative corrections and nonperturbative corrections to the longitudinal cross section $σ_L$ and discuss the prospects of determining $α_s$ from $σ_L$. The structure of infrared renormalons in the perturbative expansion suggests that the longitudinal cross section for hadron production with fixed momentum fraction $x$ receives nonperturbative contributions of order $1/(x^2Q^2)$, whereas the total cross section has a larger, $1/Q$ correction. This correction arises from very large longitudinal distances and is related to the behaviour of the Borel integral for the cross section with fixed $x$ at large values of the Borel parameter.

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arXiv1996

QCD corrections to the production of a heavy quark pair plus a hard photon in $e^+ e^-$ annihilation

We present complete results for the $O(α_s)$ corrections to the production of a heavy quark pair plus a hard photon, in $e^+ e^-$ annihilation, including both photon and $Z$ intermediate states. Virtual corrections are calculated analytically in $4 - 2 ε$ dimensions, together with the soft approximation to the real emission diagrams. After cancellation of infrared divergences, real and virtual contributions are combined numerically to obtain the cross section for the production of two heavy quark jets plus a hard photon in next-to-leading order. The resulting fully differential cross section can be used to construct arbitrary distributions with the desired experimental cuts.

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arXiv1996

String techniques for the calculation of renormalization constants in field theory

We describe a set of methods to calculate gauge theory renormalization constants from string theory, all based on a consistent prescription to continue off shell open bosonic string amplitudes. We prove the consistency of our prescription by explicitly evaluating the renormalizations of the two, three and four-gluon amplitudes, and showing that they obey the appropriate Ward identities. The field theory limit thus performed corresponds to the background field method in Feynman gauge. We identify precisely the regions in string moduli space that correspond to different classes of Feynman diagrams, and in particular we show how to isolate contributions to the effective action. Ultraviolet divergent terms are then encoded in a single string integral over the modular parameter $τ$. Finally, we derive a multiloop expression for the effective action by computing the partition function of an open bosonic string interacting with an external non-abelian background gauge field.

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arXiv1995

Gauge theory renormalizations from the open bosonic string

We present a unified point of view on the different methods available in the literature to extract gauge theory renormalization constants from the low-energy limit of string theory. The Bern-Kosower method, based on an off-shell continuation of string theory amplitudes, and the construction of low-energy string theory effective actions for gauge particles, can both be understood in terms of strings interacting with background gauge fields, and thus reproduce, in the low-energy limit, the field theory results of the background field method. We present in particular a consistent off-shell continuation of the one-loop gluon amplitudes in the open bosonic string that reproduces exactly the results of the background field method in the Feynman gauge.

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