We present a detailed study on the properties of the free energy density at the high temperature by applying the principle of maximum conformality (PMC) scale-setting method within the effective field theory. The PMC utilizes the renormalization group equation recursively to identify the occurrence and pattern of the non-conformal ${beta_i}$-terms, and determines the optimal renormalization scale at each order. Our analysis shows that a more accurate free energy density up to $g_s^5$-order level without renormalization scale dependence can be achieved by applying the PMC. We also observe that by using a smaller factorization scale around the effective parameter $m_E$, the PMC prediction shall be consistent with the Lattice QCD prediction derived at the low temperature.
In the paper, we study the $Upsilon(1S)$ leptonic decay width $Gamma(Upsilon(1S)to ell^+ell^-)$ by using the principle of maximum conformality (PMC) scale-setting approach. The PMC adopts the renormalization group equation to set the correct momentum flow of the process, whose value is independent to the choice of the renormalization scale and its prediction thus avoids the conventional renormalization scale ambiguities. Using the known next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order perturbative series together with the PMC single scale-setting approach, we do obtain a renormalization scale independent decay width, $Gamma_{Upsilon(1S) to e^+ e^-} = 1.262^{+0.195}_{-0.175}$ keV, where the error is squared average of those from $alpha_s(M_{Z})=0.1181pm0.0011$, $m_b=4.93pm0.03$ GeV and the choices of factorization scales within $pm 10%$ of their central values. To compare with the result under conventional scale-setting approach, this decay width agrees with the experimental value within errors, indicating the importance of a proper scale-setting approach.
The Higgs boson decay channel, $Htogammagamma$, is one of the most important channels for probing the properties of the Higgs boson. In the paper, we reanalyze its decay width by using the QCD corrections up to $alpha_s^4$-order level. The principle of maximum conformality has been adopted to achieve a precise pQCD prediction without conventional renormalization scheme-and-scale ambiguities. By taking the Higgs mass as the one given by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations, i.e. $M_{H}=125.09pm0.21pm0.11$ GeV, we obtain $Gamma(Hto gammagamma)|_{rm LHC}=9.364^{+0.076}_{-0.075}$ KeV.
We present a comprehensive and self-consistent analysis for the thrust distribution by using the Principle of Maximum Conformality (PMC). By absorbing all nonconformal terms into the running coupling using PMC via renormalization group equation, the scale in the running coupling shows the correct physical behavior and the correct number of active flavors is determined. The resulting PMC predictions agree with the precise measurements for both the thrust differential distributions and the thrust mean values. Moreover, we provide a new remarkable way to determine the running of the coupling constant $alpha_s(Q^2)$ from the measurement of the jet distributions in electron-positron annihilation at a single given value of the center-of-mass energy $sqrt{s}$.
The next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) pQCD prediction for the $gammagamma^* to eta_c$ form factor was evaluated in 2015 using nonrelativistic QCD (NRQCD). A strong discrepancy between the NRQCD prediction and the BaBar measurements was observed. Until now there has been no solution for this puzzle. In this paper, we present a NNLO analysis by applying the Principle of Maximum Conformality (PMC) to set the renormalization scale. By carefully dealing with the light-by-light diagrams at the NNLO level, the resulting high precision PMC prediction agrees with the BaBar measurements within errors, and the conventional renormalization scale uncertainty is eliminated. The PMC is consistent with all of the requirements of the renormalization group, including scheme-independence. The application of the PMC thus provides a rigorous solution for the $gammagamma^* to eta_c$ form factor puzzle, emphasizing the importance of correct renormalization scale-setting. The results also support the applicability of NRQCD to hard exclusive processes involving charmonium.
A key problem in making precise perturbative QCD predictions is the uncertainty in determining the renormalization scale $mu$ of the running coupling $alpha_s(mu^2).$ The purpose of the running coupling in any gauge theory is to sum all terms involving the $beta$ function; in fact, when the renormalization scale is set properly, all non-conformal $beta e 0$ terms in a perturbative expansion arising from renormalization are summed into the running coupling. The remaining terms in the perturbative series are then identical to that of a conformal theory; i.e., the corresponding theory with $beta=0$. The resulting scale-fixed predictions using the principle of maximum conformality (PMC) are independent of the choice of renormalization scheme -- a key requirement of renormalization group invariance. The results avoid renormalon resummation and agree with QED scale-setting in the Abelian limit. The PMC is also the theoretical principle underlying the BLM procedure, commensurate scale relations between observables, and the scale-setting method used in lattice gauge theory. The number of active flavors $n_f$ in the QCD $beta$ function is also correctly determined. We discuss several methods for determining the PMC scale for QCD processes. We show that a single global PMC scale, valid at leading order, can be derived from basic properties of the perturbative QCD cross section. The elimination of the renormalization scale ambiguity and the scheme dependence using the PMC will not only increase the precision of QCD tests, but it will also increase the sensitivity of collider experiments to new physics beyond the Standard Model.