arXiv subjects

Tobias Neumann

Publications and source records attributed to Tobias Neumann.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Off-shell single-top-quark production in the Standard Model Effective Field Theory

We present a fully differential and spin-dependent $t$-channel single-top-quark calculation at next-to-leading order (NLO) in QCD including off-shell effects by using the complex mass scheme in the Standard Model (SM) and in the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT). We include all relevant SMEFT operators at $1/Λ^2$ that contribute at NLO in QCD for a fully consistent comparison to the SM at NLO. In addition, we include chirality flipping operators that do not interfere with the SM amplitude and contribute only at $1/Λ^4$ with a massless $b$-quark. Such higher order effects are usually captured by considering anomalous right-handed $Wtb$ and left-handed $Wtb$ tensor couplings. Despite their formal suppression in the SMEFT, they describe an important class of models for new physics. Our calculation and analysis framework is publicly available in MCFM.

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arXiv2018

Recent Developments in Gluon Fusion Higgs Calculations

During recent years perturbative fixed order and resummation calculations have decreased uncertainties on predictions for gluon fusion Higgs production cross sections tremendously. Most exciting results have been published just this year. In these proceedings I present an overview of recent and most recent developments of these calculations that allow theory predictions to compete with the experimental precision reached by future collider upgrades.

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arXiv2018

NLO Higgs+jet at large transverse momenta including top quark mass effects

We present a next-to-leading order calculation of H+jet in gluon fusion including the effect of a finite top quark mass $m_t$ at large transverse momenta. Using the recently published two-loop amplitudes in the high energy expansion and our previous setup that includes finite $m_t$ effects in a low energy expansion, we are able to obtain $m_t$-finite results for transverse momenta below 225 GeV and above 500 GeV with negligible remaining top quark mass uncertainty. The only remaining region that has to rely on the common leading order rescaling approach is the threshold region $\sqrt{\hat s}\simeq 2m_t$. We demonstrate that this rescaling provides an excellent approximation in the high $p_T$ region. Our calculation settles the issue of top quark mass effects at large transverse momenta. It is implemented in the parton level Monte Carlo code MCFM and is publicly available immediately in version 8.2.

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arXiv2017

$Zγ$ production at NNLO including anomalous couplings

In this paper we present a next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) QCD calculation of the processes $pp\rightarrow l^+l^-γ$ and $pp\rightarrow ν\barνγ$ that we have implemented in MCFM. Our calculation includes QCD corrections at NNLO both for the Standard Model (SM) and additionally in the presence of $Zγγ$ and $ZZγ$ anomalous couplings. We compare our implementation, obtained using the jettiness slicing approach, with a previous SM calculation and find broad agreement. Focusing on the sensitivity of our results to the slicing parameter, we show that using our setup we are able to compute NNLO cross sections with numerical uncertainties of about $0.1\%$, which is small compared to residual scale uncertainties of a few percent. We study potential improvements using two different jettiness definitions and the inclusion of power corrections. At $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV we present phenomenological results and consider $Zγ$ as a background to $H\to Zγ$ production. We find that, with typical cuts, the inclusion of NNLO corrections represents a small effect and loosens the extraction of limits on anomalous couplings by about $10\%$.

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arXiv2016

The Higgs boson at high $p_T$

We present a calculation of $H+j$ at NLO including the effect of a finite top-mass. Where possible we include the complete dependence on $m_t$. This includes the leading order amplitude, the infrared poles of the two-loop amplitude and the real radiation amplitude. The remaining finite piece of the virtual correction is considered in an asymptotic expansion in $m_t$, which is accurate to $m_t^{-4}$. By successively including more $m_t$-exact pieces, the dependence on the asymptotic series diminishes and we find convergent behavior for $p_T^H>m_t$ for the first time. Our results justify rescaling by the $m_t$-exact LO cross section to model top-mass effects in EFT results up to $p_T$ of 250 to 300 GeV. We show that the error made by using the LO rescaling becomes comparable to the NNLO scale uncertainty for such large energies. We implement our results into the Monte Carlo code MCFM.

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arXiv2016

The perturbative QCD gradient flow to three loops

The gradient flow in QCD is treated perturbatively through next-to-next-to-leading order in the strong coupling constant. The evaluation of the relevant momentum and flow-time integrals is described, including various means of validation. For the vacuum expectation value of the action density, which turns out to be a useful quantity in lattice calculations, we find a very well-behaved perturbative series through NNLO. Quark mass effects are taken into account through NLO. The theoretical uncertainty due to renormalization scale variation is significantly reduced with respect to LO and NLO, as long as the flow time is smaller than about 0.1 fm.

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arXiv2014

Finite top-mass effects in gluon-induced Higgs production with a jet-veto at NNLO

Effects from a finite top quark mass on the H+n-jet cross section through gluon fusion are studied for $n=0/n\ge 1$ at NNLO/NLO QCD. For this purpose, sub-leading terms in $1/m_t$ are calculated. We show that the asymptotic expansion of the jet-vetoed cross section at NNLO is very well behaved and that the heavy-top approximation is valid at the five permille level up to jet-veto cuts of 300 GeV. For the inclusive Higgs+jet rate, we introduce a matching procedure that allows for a reliable prediction of the top-mass effects using the expansion in $1/m_t$. The quality of the effective field theory to evaluate differential K-factors for the distribution of the hardest jet is found to be better than 1-2% as long as the transverse momentum of the jet is integrated out or remains below about 150 GeV.

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arXiv2013

Probing the nature of the Higgs-gluon coupling

One and two-jet observables of dimension-7 Higgs-gluon coupling operators are studied as probes of possible deviations from the top-loop induced gluon-Higgs coupling. We discuss the case of both a scalar as well as a pseudo-scalar Higgs boson and show that higher order operators can give visible deviations from Standard Model distribution shapes.

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arXiv2012

Top-mass effects in differential Higgs production through gluon fusion at order α_s^4

Effects from a finite top quark mass on differential distributions in the Higgs+jet production cross section through gluon fusion are studied at next-to-leading order in the strong coupling, i.e. $O(α_s^4)$. Terms formally subleading in $1/m_t$ are calculated, and their influence on the transverse momentum and rapidity distribution of the Higgs boson are evaluated. We find that, for the differential K-factor, the heavy-top limit is valid at the 2-3% level as long as the transverse momentum of the Higgs remains below about 150 GeV.

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