arXiv subjects

Thomas Stone

Publications and source records attributed to Thomas Stone.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Higgs Boson Pair Production via Gluon Fusion: Higher-Order Corrections and Theoretical Uncertainties

In this contribution, the higher-order QCD and electroweak corrections to Standard Model Higgs boson pair production via the gluon-fusion mechanism, $gg\to hh$, are summarized and the different sources of theoretical uncertainty are assessed. The discussion includes finite top quark mass effects, matching to parton showers, approximate NNLO and N$^3$LO QCD corrections, NLO electroweak effects, and uncertainties associated with the top quark mass scheme and perturbative scale choices. In addition, we provide an updated state-of-the-art recommendation for the inclusive gluon-fusion Higgs boson pair production cross section and the corresponding Higgs boson pair invariant-mass distribution.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2026

Accelerating Feynman Integral Evaluation by Avoiding Contour Deformation

We describe our method for rewriting dimensionally regulated Feynman parameter integrals in the Minkowski regime as a sum of real, positive integrands multiplied by complex prefactors. This representation eliminates the need for a contour deformation, which is one of the main computational bottlenecks in numerical integration. We demonstrate clearly how the method works on two examples, and benchmark the performance against contour deformation as implemented in pySecDec, where we observe performance gains of up to several orders of magnitude. We describe an improvement in the resolution procedure using the Generic Cylindrical Algebraic Decomposition algorithm, which generalises our method to any Feynman integral, including those with massive propagators.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2026

Design and Biomechanical Evaluation of a Lightweight Low-Complexity Soft Bilateral Ankle Exoskeleton

Many people could benefit from exoskeleton assistance during gait, for either medical or nonmedical purposes. But exoskeletons bring added mass and structure, which in turn require compensating for. In this work, we present a lightweight, low-complexity, soft bilateral ankle exoskeleton for plantarflexion assistance, with a shoe attachment design that can be mounted on top of any pair of shoes. Experimental tests show no significant difference in lower limb kinematics and kinetics when wearing the exoskeleton in zero-torque mode relative to not wearing an exoskeleton, showing that our device does not obstruct healthy gait, and proving it as a compliant and comfortable device, promising to provide effective assistance. Hence, a control system was developed, and additional tests are underway.

cs.RO↗

arXiv2025

Towards the full NLO electro-weak corrections to Higgs boson pair production

Constraining the Higgs boson self-interaction is one of the main goals for the high luminosity phase of the LHC. A promising channel to this aim is the simultaneous production of two Higgs bosons from gluon fusion. For the interpretation of the data, precise theoretical predictions, also for differential cross sections, are needed. Following current projections this requires electroweak corrections at next-to-leading order. We present the contributions of top-Yukawa and Higgs self-interaction-type, as well as the first steps towards inclusion of the complete NLO electroweak corrections.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Positive Integrands from Feynman Integrals in the Minkowski Regime

We present a method for rewriting dimensionally regulated Feynman parameter integrals in the Minkowski regime as a sum of real, positive integrands multiplied by complex prefactors. This representation eliminates the need for contour deformation, allowing for direct numerical or analytic evaluation of the integrals. We develop an algorithm to construct such representations for a broad class of integrals and demonstrate its generalisation through selected examples. Our approach is applied to integrals up to three loops, including cases with internal masses and off-shell external legs. The resulting expressions are suitable for evaluation using existing techniques, such as sector decomposition, where we observe performance gains of up to four orders of magnitude in certain cases.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

Evaluating Parametric Integrals in the Minkowski Regime without Contour Deformation

We present selected examples demonstrating an alternative approach to contour deformation for numerically computing loop integrals in the Minkowski regime. This method focuses on identifying singular hypersurfaces (varieties of the $\mathscr{F}$ polynomial) and mapping them to known points which can then be resolved by employing blow-ups/sector decomposition techniques, thereby avoiding the need for contour deformation. Using this technique, we achieve improved convergence properties without the need for contour deformation, which is known to significantly increase the complexity of the integrand by introducing, for example, derivatives of the $\mathscr{F}$ polynomial and complicated Jacobians. We highlight that while we have only tested the approach on selected one-, two- and three-loop massless and one-loop massive examples, it shows promise for practical applications, offering potential benefits over the traditional approach. Evaluation times are compared with existing contour deformation implementations to illustrate the performance of this alternative method.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

Electroweak corrections to Higgs boson pair production: The top-Yukawa and self-coupling contributions

We present results for the Yukawa-enhanced and Higgs self-coupling type electroweak corrections to di-Higgs production in gluon fusion. The calculation of the corresponding four-scale, two-loop amplitude is carried out retaining the exact symbolic dependence on all masses and scales during the reduction to master integrals. The resulting integrals are then evaluated at high precision using both the series expansion of the differential equations and sector decomposition. Differential cross sections for the di-Higgs invariant mass and the transverse momentum of a Higgs boson are shown, where we find that the corrections are most pronounced at low invariant mass and transverse momentum.

hep-ph↗