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Stefano Forte

Publications and source records attributed to Stefano Forte.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
arXiv2007

A new prescription for soft gluon resummation

We present a new prescription for the resummation of the divergent series of perturbative corrections, due to soft gluon emission, to hard processes near threshold in perturbative QCD (threshold resummation). This prescription is based on Borel resummation, and contrary to the commonly used minimal prescription, it does not introduce a dependence of resummed physical observables on the kinematically unaccessible x->0 region of parton distributions. We compare results for resummed deep-inelastic scattering obtained using the Borel prescription and the minimal prescription and exploit the comparison to discuss the ambiguities related to the resummation procedure.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2007

BFKL at Next-to-Next-to-Leading Order

We determine an approximate expression for the O(alpha_s^3) contribution chi_2 to the kernel of the BFKL equation, which includes all collinear and anticollinear singular contributions. This is derived using recent results on the relation between the GLAP and BFKL kernels (including running-coupling effects to all orders) and on small-x factorization schemes. We present the result in various schemes, relevant both for applications to the BFKL equation and to small-x evolution of parton distributions.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2007

Neural network determination of parton distributions: the nonsinglet case

We provide a determination of the isotriplet quark distribution from available deep--inelastic data using neural networks. We give a general introduction to the neural network approach to parton distributions, which provides a solution to the problem of constructing a faithful and unbiased probability distribution of parton densities based on available experimental information. We discuss in detail the techniques which are necessary in order to construct a Monte Carlo representation of the data, to construct and evolve neural parton distributions, and to train them in such a way that the correct statistical features of the data are reproduced. We present the results of the application of this method to the determination of the nonsinglet quark distribution up to next--to--next--to--leading order, and compare them with those obtained using other approaches.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2006

Spin Physics

We review recent experimental and theoretical progress in spin physics, as presented in the spin parallel session of DIS2006. In particular, we discuss the status of the nucleon spin structure, transverse polarized asymmetries, and recent developments such as DVCS, polarized fragmentation and polarized resummation.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2006

Spin in quantum field theory

I introduce spin in field theory by emphasizing the close connection between quantum field theory and quantum mechanics. First, I show that the spin-statistics connection can be derived in quantum mechanics without relativity or field theory. Then, I discuss path integrals for spin without using spinors. Finally, I show how spin can be quantized in a path-integral approach, without introducing anticommuting variables.

hep-th↗
arXiv2006

How Resummation Depresses the Gluon at Small x

We summarize recent progress in the resummation of perturbative evolution at small x. We show that the problem of incorporating BFKL small x logs in GLAP evolution is now completely solved, and that the main effect of small x resummation is to reduce the growth of the gluon at small x in the HERA and LHC regions.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2006

Perturbatively Stable Resummed Small x Evolution Kernels

We present a small x resummation for the GLAP anomalous dimension and its corresponding dual BFKL kernel, which includes all the available perturbative information and nonperturbative constraints. Specifically, it includes all the information coming from next-to-leading order GLAP anomalous dimensions and BFKL kernels, from the constraints of momentum conservation, from renormalization-group improvement of the running coupling and from gluon interchange symmetry. The ensuing evolution kernel has a uniformly stable perturbative expansion. It is very close to the unresummed NLO GLAP kernel in most of the HERA kinematic region, the small x BFKL behaviour being softened by momentum conservation and the running of the coupling. Next-to-leading corrections are small thanks to the constraint of gluon interchange symmetry. This result subsumes all previous resummations in that it combines optimally all the information contained in them.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2006

All Order Running Coupling BFKL Evolution from GLAP (and vice-versa)

We present a systematic formalism for the derivation of the kernel of the BFKL equation from that of the GLAP equation and conversely to any given order, with full inclusion of the running of the coupling. The running coupling is treated as an operator, reducing the inclusion of running coupling effects and their factorization to a purely algebraic problem. We show how the GLAP anomalous dimensions which resum large logs of x can be derived from the running-coupling BFKL kernel order by order, thereby obtaining a constructive all-order proof of small x factorization. We check this result by explicitly calculating the running coupling contributions to GLAP anomalous dimensions up to next-to-next-to leading order. We finally derive an explicit expression for BFKL kernels which resum large logs of Q^2 up to next-to-leading order from the corresponding GLAP kernels, thus making possible a consistent collinear improvement of the BFKL equation up to the same order.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2006

Borel resummation of soft gluon radiation and higher twists

We show that the well-known divergence of the perturbative expansion of resummed results for processes such as deep-inelastic scattering and Drell-Yan in the soft limit can be treated by Borel resummation. The divergence in the Borel inversion can be removed by the inclusion of suitable higher twist terms. This provides us with an alternative to the standard 'minimal prescription' for the asymptotic summation of the perturbative expansion, and it gives us some handle on the role of higher twist corrections in the soft resummation region.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2005

Re-evaluation of the Gottfried sum using neural networks

We provide a determination of the Gottfried sum from all available data, based on a neural network parametrization of the nonsinglet structure function F_2. We find S_G=0.244 +- 0.045, closer to the quark model expectation S_G=1/3 than previous results. We show that the uncertainty from the small x region is somewhat underestimated in previous determinations.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2005

Unbiased determination of the proton structure function F_2^p with faithful uncertainty estimation

We construct a parametrization of the deep-inelastic structure function of the proton F_2 based on all available experimental information from charged lepton deep-inelastic scattering experiments. The parametrization effectively provides a bias-free determination of the probability measure in the space of structure functions, which retains information on experimental errors and correlations. The result is obtained in the form of a Monte Carlo sample of neural networks trained on an ensemble of replicas of the experimental data. We discuss in detail the techniques required for the construction of bias-free parameterizations of large amounts of structure function data, in view of future applications to the determination of parton distributions based on the same method.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2005

Progress in Small x Resummation

I review recent theoretical progress in the resummation of small x contributions to the evolution of parton distributions, in view of its potential significance for accurate phenomenology at future colliders. I show that a consistent perturbative resummation of collinear and energy logs is now possible, and necessary if one wishes to use recent NNLO results in the HERA kinematic region.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2005

Renormalization group approach to Sudakov resummation in prompt photon production

We prove the all-order exponentiation of soft logarithmic corrections to prompt photon production in hadronic collisions, by generalizing an approach previously developed in the context of Drell-Yan production and deep-inelastic scattering. We show that all large logs in the soft limit can be expressed in terms of two dimensionful variables, and we use the renormalization group to resum them. The resummed results that we obtain are more general though less predictive than those proposed by other groups, in that they can accommodate for violations of Sudakov factorization.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2005

Structure Functions and Parton Distributions

I review recent progress in the determination of the parton structure of the nucleon, in particular from deep-inelastic structure functions. I explain how the needs of current and future precision phenomenology, specifically at the LHC, have turned the determination of parton distributions into a quantitative problem. I describe the results and difficulties of current approaches and ideas to go beyond them.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2005

Polarized Structure Functions with Neutrino Beams

We review the potential impact of neutrino data on the determination of the spin structure of the nucleon. We show that a flavour decomposition of the parton structure of the nucleon as required by present-day precision phenomenology could only be achieved at a neutrino factory. We discuss how neutrino scattering data would allow a full resolution of the nucleon spin problem.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2003

An Improved Splitting Function for Small x Evolution

We summarize our recent result for a splitting function for small x evolution which includes resummed small x logarithms deduced from the leading order BFKL equation with the inclusion of running coupling effects. We compare this improved splitting function with alternative approaches.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2003

An anomalous dimension for small x evolution

We construct an anomalous dimension for small x evolution which goes beyond standard fixed order perturbative evolution by including resummed small x logarithms deduced from the leading order BFKL equation with running coupling. Surprisingly, we find that once running coupling effects are properly taken into account, the leading approximation is very close to standard perturbative evolution in the range of x accessible at HERA, in overall agreement with the data, with no need for phenomenological parameters to summarise subleading effects. We also show that further corrections due to subleading small x logarithms derived from the Fadin-Lipatov kernel can be kept under control, but that they involve substantial resummation ambiguities which limit their practical usefulness.

hep-ph↗