arXiv subjects

Pavel M. Nadolsky

Publications and source records attributed to Pavel M. Nadolsky.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Charm quark mass dependence in the CTEQ NNLO global QCD analysis

We discuss the impact of the charm quark mass in the CTEQ NNLO global analysis of parton distribution functions of the proton. The $\bar{\rm MS}$ mass $m_c(m_c)$ of the charm quark is extracted in the S-ACOT-$χ$ heavy-quark factorization scheme at ${\cal O}(α_s^2)$ accuracy and found to be in agreement with the world-average value. Impact on $m_c(m_c)$ of combined HERA-1 data on semiinclusive charm production at HERA collider and contributing systematic uncertainties are reviewed.

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arXiv2012

Massive neutral gauge boson production as a probe of nuclear modifications of parton distributions at the LHC

We analyze the role of nuclear modifications of parton distributions, notably, the nuclear shadowing and antishadowing corrections, in production of lepton pairs from decays of neutral electroweak gauge bosons in proton-lead and lead-collisions at the LHC. Using the Collins-Soper-Sterman resummation formalism that we extended to the case of nuclear parton distributions, we observed a direct correlation between the predicted behavior of the transverse momentum and rapidity distributions of the produced vector bosons and the pattern of quark and gluon nuclear modifications. This makes Drell-Yan pair production in $pA$ and $AA$ collisions at the LHC a useful tool for constraining nuclear PDFs in the small-$x$ shadowing and moderate-$x$ antishadowing regions.

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arXiv2012

General-mass treatment for deep inelastic scattering at two-loop accuracy

We present a next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) realization of a general quark mass scheme (S-ACOT-$χ$) in deep inelastic scattering and explore the impact of NNLO terms on heavy-quark structure functions $F_{2,L}^{c}(x,Q)$. An amended QCD factorization theorem for DIS is discussed that validates the S-ACOT-$χ$ scheme to all orders in the QCD coupling strength. As a new feature, kinematical constraints on collinear production of heavy quarks that are crucial near the heavy-quark threshold are included in the amended factorization theorem. An algorithmic procedure is outlined for implementing this scheme at NNLO by using mass-dependent and massless results from literature. At two loops in QCD cut diagrams, the S-ACOT-$χ$ scheme reduces scale dependence of heavy-quark DIS cross sections as compared to the fixed-flavor number scheme.

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arXiv2012

MEKS: a program for computation of inclusive jet cross sections at hadron colliders

EKS is a numerical program that predicts differential cross sections for production of single-inclusive hadronic jets and jet pairs at next-to-leading order (NLO) accuracy in a perturbative QCD calculation. We describe MEKS 1.0, an upgraded EKS program with increased numerical precision, suitable for comparisons to the latest experimental data from the Large Hadron Collider and Tevatron. The program integrates the regularized patron-level matrix elements over the kinematical phase space for production of two and three partons using the VEGAS algorithm. It stores the generated weighted events in finely binned two-dimensional histograms for fast offline analysis. A user interface allows one to customize computation of inclusive jet observables. Results of a benchmark comparison of the MEKS program and the commonly used FastNLO program are also documented.

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arXiv2011

Heavy-flavor contributions at NNLO in CTEQ PDF analysis

We discuss an NNLO realization of the general mass scheme S-ACOT-$χ$ for treatment of heavy-flavour production in neutral current deep-inelastic scattering. Practical implementation of the NNLO calculation is illustrated on the example of semi-inclusive structure functions $F_{2 c}(x,Q)$ and $F_{L c}(x,Q)$.

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arXiv2010

Constraints on color-octet fermions from a global parton distribution analysis

We report a parton distribution function (PDF) analysis of a complete set of hadron scattering data, in which a color-octet fermion (such as a gluino of supersymmetry) is incorporated as an extra parton constituent along with the usual standard model constituents. The data set includes the most up-to-date results from deep-inelastic scattering and from jet production in hadron collisions. Another feature is the inclusion in the fit of data from determinations of the strong coupling alpha_s(Q) at large and small values of the hard scale Q. Our motivation is to determine the extent to which the global PDF analysis may provide constraints on the new fermion, as a function of its mass and alpha_s(M_Z), independent of assumptions such as the mechanism of gluino decays. Based on this analysis, we find that gluino masses as low as 30 to 50 GeV may be compatible with the current hadronic data. Gluino masses below 15 GeV (25 GeV) are excluded if alpha_s(M_Z) varies freely (is equal to 0.118). At the outset, stronger constraints had been anticipated from jet production cross sections, but experimental systematic uncertainties, particularly in normalization, reduce the discriminating power of these data.

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arXiv2010

New parton distributions for collider physics

We extract new parton distribution functions (PDFs) of the proton by global analysis of hard scattering data in the general-mass framework of perturbative quantum chromodynamics. Our analysis includes new theoretical developments together with the most recent collider data from deep-inelastic scattering, vector boson production, and single-inclusive jet production. Due to the difficulty in fitting both the DO Run-II W lepton asymmetry data and some fixed-target DIS data, we present two families of PDFs, CT10 and CT10W, without and with these high-luminosity W lepton asymmetry data included in the global analysis. With both sets of PDFs, we study theoretical predictions and uncertainties for a diverse selection of processes at the Fermilab Tevatron and the CERN Large Hadron Collider.

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arXiv2009

Improved formulation of global QCD analysis with zero-mass hard cross sections

The zero-mass (ZM) parton formalism is widely used in high-energy physics because of its simplicity and historical importance, even while massive quarks (c,b,t) are playing an increasingly prominent role in particle phenomenology, including global QCD analyses of parton distributions based on the more precise general-mass (GM) QCD formalism. In view of this dichotomy, we show how the obvious inconsistencies of the conventional implementation of the ZM formalism can be corrected, while preserving the simplicity of its matrix elements. The resulting intermediate mass (IM) scheme for perturbative QCD calculation can be considered either as improved ZM formulation with realistic treatment of heavy-flavor kinematics; or as a simplified GM formulation with approximate ZM hard cross sections. Phenomenologically, global analyses based on IM calculations can effectively reproduce, within the present estimated uncertainty bands, the more correct GM results on parton distributions, as well as their predictions for a wide range of collider processes of current interest.

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arXiv2008

Longitudinal parity-violating asymmetry in hadronic decays of weak bosons in polarized proton collisions

We investigate the possible measurement of parity-violating spin asymmetries in jet pair production in proton-proton collisions at the Brookhaven Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), with the goal to constrain longitudinally polarized quark and antiquark distribution functions. A measurable asymmetry could be observed in the vicinity of the massive weak W boson resonance, where the parity-violating signal appears above the parity-conserving background and is enhanced by interference of the strong and electroweak production amplitudes. We discuss the potential for such measurements, perhaps the first opportunity to measure a parity-violating asymmetry in proton-proton collisions at RHIC. Sensitivity of this measurement to the polarization of down-type antiquarks is demonstrated.

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arXiv2008

Implications of CTEQ PDF analysis for collider observables

In the context of a recent CTEQ6.6 global analysis, we review a new technique for studying correlated theoretical uncertainties in hadronic observables associated with imperfect knowledge of parton distribution functions (PDFs). The technique is based on the computation of correlations between the predicted values of physical observables in the Hessian matrix method. It can be used, for example, to link the dominant PDF uncertainty in a hadronic cross section to PDFs for individual parton flavors at well-defined $(x,μ)$ values. As an illustration, we apply the PDF correlation analysis to study regularities in the PDF dependence of Z, W, and Higgs boson production cross sections at the Tevatron and LHC.

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arXiv2008

Strange, charm, and bottom flavors in CTEQ global analysis

I discuss advances in the determination of strange, charm, and bottom quark parton distribution functions obtained in the CTEQ6.5 and CTEQ6.6 global analyses. These results affect electroweak precision observables and certain new physics searches at the Large Hadron Collider. I focus, in particular, on high-energy implications of the consistent treatment of heavy-quark threshold effects in DIS in the general-mass factorization scheme; an independent parametrization for the strangeness PDF; and the possible presence of nonperturbative ("intrinsic") charm.

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arXiv2006

Heavy-flavor effects in supersymmetric Higgs boson production at hadron colliders

We evaluate the effect of the bottom-quark mass on resummed transverse momentum distributions of supersymmetric Higgs bosons at the Tevatron and LHC. The mass of the bottom quark acts as a non-negligible momentum scale at small transverse momenta and affects resummation of soft and collinear radiation in this region. The improved treatment of the b-quark mass and kinematical effects lead to observable modifications in the resummed predictions for both colliders.

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arXiv2006

Universality of the Collins-Soper-Sterman nonperturbative function in gauge boson production

We revise the $b_*$ model for the Collins-Soper-Sterman resummed form factor to improve description of the leading-power contribution at nearly nonperturbative impact parameters. This revision leads to excellent agreement of the transverse momentum resummation with the data in a global analysis of Drell-Yan lepton pair and Z boson production. The nonperturbative contributions are found to follow universal quasi-linear dependence on the logarithm of the heavy boson invariant mass, which closely agrees with an estimate from the infrared renormalon analysis.

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arXiv2005

Transverse momentum resummation for Higgs boson produced via bb-bar fusion at hadron colliders

We study the impact of initial-state multiple parton radiation on transverse momentum $(q_T)$ distribution of Higgs boson produced via bottom quark fusion at hadron colliders. The shape of the resulting $q_T$ distribution is affected by the bottom-quark mass corrections and by the strong kinematical behavior of the bottom-quark parton density. We account for both features in the full range of $q_T$. To do this, we formulate the resummation calculation in a general-mass factorization (S-ACOT) scheme and introduce a correction in the resummed-term to account for the effect from large-$q_T$ kinematics of Higgs boson. The results of this resummation are compared to fixed-order and PYTHIA predictions.

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arXiv2005

Heavy-flavor effects in soft gluon resummation for electroweak boson production at hadron colliders

We evaluate the impact of heavy-quark masses on transverse momentum distributions of W, Z, and supersymmetric neutral Higgs bosons at the Tevatron and LHC. The masses of charm and bottom quarks act as non-negligible momentum scales at small transverse momentum, and affect resummation of soft and collinear radiation. We point out inconsistencies in the treatment of heavy-flavor channels at small transverse momentum in massless factorization schemes, and formulate small transverse momentum resummation in a general-mass variable flavor number factorization scheme. The improved treatment of the quark mass dependence leads to non-negligible effects in precision measurements of the W boson mass at the LHC, and may cause observable modifications in production of Higgs bosons and other particles in heavy-quark scattering.

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arXiv2005

q_T Uncertainties for W and Z Production

Analysis of semi-inclusive DIS hadroproduction suggests broadening of transverse momentum distributions at small x below 1E-3 ~ 1E-2 which can be modeled in the Collins-Soper-Sterman formalism by a modification of impact parameter dependent parton densities. We investigate these consequences for the production of electroweak bosons at the Tevatron and the LHC. If substantial small-x broadening is observed in forward Z boson production in the Tevatron Run-2, it will strongly affect the predicted q_T distributions for W and Z boson production at the LHC.

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arXiv2005

Universality of transverse momentum resummation for electroweak boson production

We perform a global analysis of transverse momentum distributions in Drell-Yan pair and Z boson production in order to investigate universality of nonperturbative contributions to the Collins-Soper-Sterman resummed form factor. Our fit made in an improved nonperturbative model suggests that the nonperturbative contributions follow universal nearly-linear dependence on the logarithm of the heavy boson invariant mass Q, which closely agrees with an estimate from the infrared renormalon analysis.

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arXiv2004

Theory of W and Z boson production

Success of precision studies in W and Z boson production at the Tevatron and LHC depends on the progress in reducing theoretical uncertainties to the level of 1-2%. I review recent developments in theoretical understanding of W and Z boson production and remaining issues to be solved to meet demands of the near-future experiments.

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