arXiv subjects

S. Moch

Publications and source records attributed to S. Moch.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2011

On the Next-to-Next-to-Leading Order Evolution of Flavour-Singlet Fragmentation Functions

We present the third-order contributions to the quark-gluon and gluon-quark timelike splitting functions for the evolution of fragmentation functions in perturbative QCD. These quantities have been derived by studying physical evolution kernels for photon- and Higgs-exchange structure functions in deep inelastic scattering and their counterparts in semi-inclusive annihilation, together with constraints from the momentum sum rule and the supersymmetric limit. For this purpose we have also calculated the second-order coefficient functions for one-hadron inclusive Higgs decay in the heavy-top limit. A numerically tolerable uncertainty remains for the quark-gluon splitting function, which does not affect the endpoint logarithms for small and large momentum fractions. We briefly discuss these limits and illustrate the numerical impact of the third-order corrections. Compact and accurate parametrizations are provided for all third-order timelike splitting functions.

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arXiv2011

$O(α_s)$ Heavy Flavor Corrections to Charged Current Deep-Inelastic Scattering in Mellin Space

We provide a fast and precise Mellin-space implementation of the $O(α_s)$ heavy flavor Wilson coefficients for charged current deep inelastic scattering processes. They are of importance for the extraction of the strange quark distribution in neutrino-nucleon scattering and the QCD analyses of the HERA charged current data. Errors in the literature are corrected. We also discuss a series of more general parton parameterizations in Mellin space.

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arXiv2011

Higher order constraints on the Higgs production rate from fixed-target DIS data

The constraints of fixed-target DIS data in fits of parton distributions including QCD corrections to next-to-next-to leading order are studied. We point out a potential problem in the analysis of the NMC data which can lead to inconsistencies in the extracted value for alpha_s(M_Z) and the gluon distribution at higher orders in QCD. The implications for predictions of rates for Standard Model Higgs boson production at hadron colliders are investigated. We conclude that the current range of excluded Higgs boson masses at the Tevatron appears to be much too large.

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arXiv2010

NNLO Benchmarks for Gauge and Higgs Boson Production at TeV Hadron Colliders

The inclusive production cross sections for $W^+, W^-$ and $Z^0$-bosons form important benchmarks for the physics at hadron colliders. We perform a detailed comparison of the predictions for these standard candles based on recent next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) parton parameterizations and new analyses including the combined HERA data, compare to all available experimental results, and discuss the predictions for present and upcoming RHIC, SPS, Tevatron and LHC energies. The rates for gauge boson production at the LHC can be rather confidently predicted with an accuracy of better than about 10% at NNLO. We also present detailed NNLO predictions for the Higgs boson production cross sections for Tevatron and LHC energies (1.96, 7, 8, 14 TeV), and propose a possible method to monitor the gluon distribution experimentally in the kinematic region close to the mass range expected for the Higgs boson. The production cross sections of the Higgs boson at the LHC are presently predicted with an accuracy of about 10--17%. The inclusion of the NNLO contributions is mandatory for achieving such accuracies since the total uncertainties are substantially larger at NLO.

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arXiv2010

Heavy-quark deep-inelastic scattering with a running mass

We study the production of heavy quarks in deep-inelastic scattering within perturbative QCD. As a novelty, we employ for the first time the running mass definition in the MSbar scheme for deep-inelastic charm and bottom production. We observe an improved stability of the perturbative expansion and a reduced theoretical uncertainty due to variations of the renormalization and factorization scales. As our best estimate we extract from a global fit to fixed-target and HERA collider data for the charm-quark an MSbar mass of m_c(m_c) = 1.01 +- 0.09 (exp) +- 0.03 (th) GeV.

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arXiv2010

AutoDipole - Automated generation of dipole subtraction terms -

We present an automated generation of the subtraction terms for next-to-leading order QCD calculations in the Catani-Seymour dipole formalism. For a given scattering process with n external particles our Mathematica package generates all dipole terms, allowing for both massless and massive dipoles. The numerical evaluation of the subtraction terms proceeds with MadGraph, which provides Fortran code for the necessary scattering amplitudes. Checks of the numerical stability are discussed.

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arXiv2010

Threshold-improved predictions for charm production in deep-inelastic scattering

We have extended previous results on the threshold expansion of the gluon coefficient function for the charm contribution to the deep-inelastic structure function F_2 by deriving all threshold-enhanced contributions at the next-to-next-to-leading order. The size of these corrections is briefly illustrated, and a first step towards extending this improvement to more differential charm-production cross sections is presented.

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arXiv2010

On higher-order flavour-singlet splitting and coefficient functions at large x

We discuss the large-x behaviour of the splitting functions P_qg and P_gq and of flavour-singlet coefficient functions, such as the gluon contributions C_2,g and C_L,g to the structure functions F_2,L, in massless perturbative QCD. These quantities are suppressed by one or two powers of 1-x with respect to the 1/(1-x) terms which are the subject of the well-known threshold exponentiation. We show that the double-logarithmic contributions to P_qg, P_gq and C_L at order alpha_s^4 can be predicted from known third-order results and present, as a first step towards a full all-order generalization, the leading-logarithmic large-x behaviour of P_qg, P_gq and C_2,g at all orders in alpha_s.

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arXiv2010

Update of the NNLO PDFs in the 3-, 4-, and 5-flavour scheme

We report on an update of the next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) ABKM09 parton distributions functions. They are obtained with the use of the combined HERA collider Run I inclusive deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) data and the partial NNLO corrections to the heavy quark electro-production taken into account. The value of the strong couplig constant $α^{\rm NNLO}_{\rm s}(M_{\rm Z})=0.1147(12)$ is obtained. The standard candle cross sections for the Tevatron collider and the LHC estimated with the updated PDFs are provided.

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arXiv2010

-- HATHOR -- HAdronic Top and Heavy quarks crOss section calculatoR

We present a program to calculate the total cross section for top-quark pair production in hadronic collisions. The program takes into account recent theoretical developments such as approximate next-to-next-to-leading order perturbative QCD corrections and it allows for studies of the theoretical uncertainty by separate variations of the factorization and renormalization scales. In addition it offers the possibility to obtain the cross section as a function of the running top-quark mass. The program can also be applied to a hypothetical fourth quark family provided the QCD couplings are standard.

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arXiv2010

The 3-, 4-, and 5-flavor NNLO Parton from Deep-Inelastic-Scattering Data and at Hadron Colliders

We determine the parton distribution functions (PDFs) in a next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) QCD-analysis of the inclusive neutral-current deep-inelastic-scattering (DIS) world data combined with the neutri{-}no-nucleon DIS di-muon data and the fixed-target Drell-Yan data. The PDF-evolution is performed in the $N_f = 3$ fixed-flavor scheme and supplementary sets of PDFs in the 4- and 5-flavor schemes are derived from the results in the 3-flavor scheme using matching conditions. The charm-quark DIS contribution is calculated in a general-mass variable-flavor-number (GMVFN) scheme interpolating between the zero-mass 4-flavor scheme at asymptotically large values of momentum transfer $Q^2$ and the 3-flavor scheme prescription of Buza-Matiounine-Smith-van Neerven (BMSN) at the value of $Q^2 = m_c^2$. The results in the GMVFN scheme are compared with those of the fixed-flavor scheme and other prescriptions used in global fits of PDFs. The strong coupling constant is measured at an accuracy of $\approx 1.5%$. We obtain at NNLO $α_s(M_Z^2) = 0.1135 \pm 0.0014$ in the fixed-flavor scheme and $α_s(M_Z^2) = 0.1129 \pm 0.0applying the BMSN-prescription. The implications for important standard candle and hard scattering processes at hadron colliders are illustrated. Predictions for cross sections of $W^{\pm}$- and $Z$-boson, the top-quark pair- and Higgs-boson production at the Tevatron and the LHC based on the 5-flavor PDFs of the present analysis are provided.014$

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arXiv2010

The top-quark's running mass

We discuss the direct determination of the running top-quark mass from measurements of the total cross section of hadronic top-quark pair-production. The theory predictions in the MSbar scheme are very stable under scale variations and show rapid apparent convergence of the perturbative expansion. These features are explained by studying the underlying parton dynamics.

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arXiv2010

Higher-order predictions for splitting functions and coefficient functions from physical evolution kernels

We have studied the physical evolution kernels for nine non-singlet observables in deep-inelastic scattering (DIS), semi-inclusive e^+e^-annihilation and the Drell-Yan (DY) process, and for the flavour-singlet case of the photon- and heavy-top Higgs-exchange structure functions (F_2, F_phi) in DIS. All known contributions to these kernels show an only single-logarithmic large-x enhancement at all powers of 1-x. Conjecturing that this behaviour persists to (all) higher orders, we have predicted the highest three (DY: two) double logarithms of the higher-order non-singlet coefficient functions and of the four-loop singlet splitting functions. The coefficient-function predictions canbe written as exponentiations of 1/N-suppressed contributions in Mellin-N space which, however, are less predictive than the well-known exponentiation of the ln^k N terms.

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arXiv2009

On Higgs-exchange DIS, physical evolution kernels and fourth-order splitting functions at large x

We present the coefficient functions for deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) via the exchange of a scalar phi directly coupling only to gluons, such as the Higgs boson in the limit of a very heavy top quark and n_f effectively massless light flavours, to the third order in perturbative QCD. The two-loop results are employed to construct the next-to-next-to-leading order physical evolution kernels for the system (F_2 F_phi) of flavour-singlet structure functions. The practical relevance of these kernels as an alternative to MSbar factorization is bedevilled by artificial double logarithms at small values of the scaling variable x, where the large top-mass limit ceases to be appropriate. However, they show an only single-logarithmic enhancement at large x. Conjecturing that this feature persists to the next order also in the present singlet case, the three-loop coefficient functions facilitate exact predictions (backed up by their particular colour structure) of the double-logarithmic contributions to the fourth-order singlet splitting functions, i.e., of the terms (1-x)^a ln^k(1-x) with k = 4, 5, 6 and k = 3, 4, 5, respectively, for the off-diagonal and diagonal quantities to all powers a in 1-x.

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arXiv2009

The QCD form factor of massive quarks and applications

We review the electromagnetic form factor of heavy quarks with emphasis on the QCD radiative corrections at two-loop order in the perturbative expansion. We discuss important properties of the heavy-quark form factor such as its exponentiation in the high-energy limit and its role in QCD factorization theorems for massive n-parton amplitudes.

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arXiv2009

On non-singlet physical evolution kernels and large-x coefficient functions in perturbative QCD

We study the large-x behaviour of the physical evolution kernels for flavour non-singlet observables in deep-inelastic scattering, where x is the Bjorken variable, semi-inclusive e^+ e^- annihilation and Drell-Yan lepton-pair production. Unlike the corresponding MSbar-scheme coefficient functions, all these kernels show a single-logarithmic large-x enhancement at all orders in 1-x. We conjecture that this universal behaviour, established by Feynman-diagram calculations up to the fourth order, holds at all orders in the strong coupling constant alpha_s. The resulting predictions are presented for the highest ln^n(1-x) contributions to the higher-order coefficient functions. In Mellin-N space these predictions take the form of an exponentiation which, however, appears to be less powerful than the well-known soft-gluon exponentiation of the leading (1-x)^(-1) ln^n(1-x) terms. In particular in deep-inelastic scattering the 1/N corrections are non-negligible for all practically relevant N.

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arXiv2009

Measuring the running top-quark mass

We present the first direct determination of the running top-quark mass based on the total cross section of top-quark pair-production as measured at the Tevatron. Our theory prediction for the cross section includes various next-to-next-to-leading order QCD contributions, in particular all logarithmically enhanced terms near threshold, the Coulomb corrections at two loops and all explicitly scale dependent terms at NNLO accuracy. The result allows for an exact and independent variation of the renormalization and factorization scales. For Tevatron and LHC we study its dependence on all scales, on the parton luminosity and on the top-quark mass using both the conventional pole mass definition as well as the running mass in the MSbar scheme. We extract for the top-quark an MSbar mass of m(mu=m) = 160.0 +3.3 -3.2 GeV, which corresponds to a pole mass of m_t = 168.9 +3.5 -3.4 GeV.

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arXiv2009

Variable-Flavor-Number Scheme in Analysis of Heavy-Quark Electro-Production Data

We check the impact of the factorization scheme employed in the calculation of the heavy-quark deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) electro-production on the PDFs determined in the NNLO QCD analysis of the world inclusive neutral-current DIS data combined with the ones on the neutrino-nucleon DIS di-muon production and the fixed-target Drell-Yan process. The charm-quark DIS contribution is calculated in the general-mass variable-flavor-number (GMVFN) scheme: At asymptotically large values of the momentum transfer $Q$ it is given by the zero-mass 4-flavor scheme and at the value of $Q$ equal to the charm-quark mass it is smoothly matched with the 3-flavor scheme using the Buza-Matiounine-Smith-van Neerven prescription. The PDFs obtained in this variant of the fit are very similar to the ones obtained in the fit with a 3-flavor scheme employed. Our 5-flavor PDFs derived from the 3-flavor ones using the NNLO matching conditions are used to calculate the rates of $W^{\pm}/Z$ and $t\bar{t}$ production at the Tevatron collider and the LHC at NNLO.

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