No Arabic abstract
We present a joint extraction of the strong coupling $alpha_s$ and the top-quark pole mass $m_t$ from measurements of top-quark pair production performed by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at the 8 TeV LHC. For the first time, differential NNLO theory predictions for different values of the top-quark mass are utilised for four kinematic distributions: the average transverse momentum of the top-quark, its average rapidity and the pair invariant mass and rapidity. The use of fastNLO tables for these distributions allows rapid evaluation of the differential theory predictions for different PDF sets. We consider the single differential distributions from the experiments both separately and in combination in order to obtain the best fit to theory. Our final values are $alpha_s=0.1159^{+0.0013}_{-0.0014}$ and $m_t=173.8^{+0.8}_{-0.8}$ GeV which are compatible with previous extractions using top-quark measurements. In the case of $m_t$, our value is also compatible with the world average value collated by the Particle Data Group.
With the goal of increasing the precision of NLO QCD predictions for the $ppto tbar{t} gamma$ process in the di-lepton top quark decay channel we present theoretical predictions for the ${cal R}= sigma_{tbar{t}gamma}/sigma_{tbar{t}}$ cross section ratio. Results for the latter together with various differential cross section ratios are given for the LHC with the Run II energy of $sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV. Fully realistic NLO computations for $tbar{t}$ and $tbar{t}gamma$ production are employed. They are based on matrix elements for $e^+ u_e mu^- bar{ u}_mu bbar{b}$ and $e^+ u_e mu^- bar{ u}_mu bbar{b}gamma$ processes and include all resonant and non-resonant diagrams, interferences, and off-shell effects of the top quarks and the $W$ gauge bosons. Various renormalisation and factorisation scale choices and parton density functions are examined to assess their impact on the cross section ratio. Depending on the transverse momentum cut on the hard photon a judicious choice of a dynamical scale allows us to obtain $1%-3%$ percent precision on ${cal R}$. Moreover, for differential cross section ratios theoretical uncertainties in the range of $1%-6%$ have been estimated. Until now such high precision predictions have only been reserved for the top quark pair production at NNLO QCD. Thus, ${cal R}$ at NLO in QCD represents a very precise observable to be measured at the LHC for example to study the top quark charge asymmetry or to probe the strength and the structure of the $t$-$bar{t}$-$gamma$ vertex. The latter can shed some light on possible new physics that can reveal itself only once sufficiently precise theoretical predictions are available.
This Report summarises the results of the second years activities of the LHC Higgs Cross Section Working Group. The main goal of the working group was to present the state of the art of Higgs Physics at the LHC, integrating all new results that have appeared in the last few years. The first working group report Handbook of LHC Higgs Cross Sections: 1. Inclusive Observables (CERN-2011-002) focuses on predictions (central values and errors) for total Higgs production cross sections and Higgs branching ratios in the Standard Model and its minimal supersymmetric extension, covering also related issues such as Monte Carlo generators, parton distribution functions, and pseudo-observables. This second Report represents the next natural step towards realistic predictions upon providing results on cross sections with benchmark cuts, differential distributions, details of specific decay channels, and further recent developments.
This document provides a writeup of all contributions to the workshop on High precision measurements of $alpha_s$: From LHC to FCC-ee held at CERN, Oct. 12--13, 2015. The workshop explored in depth the latest developments on the determination of the QCD coupling $alpha_s$ from 15 methods where high precision measurements are (or will be) available. Those include low-energy observables: (i) lattice QCD, (ii) pion decay factor, (iii) quarkonia and (iv) $tau$ decays, (v) soft parton-to-hadron fragmentation functions, as well as high-energy observables: (vi) global fits of parton distribution functions, (vii) hard parton-to-hadron fragmentation functions, (viii) jets in $e^pm$p DIS and $gamma$-p photoproduction, (ix) photon structure function in $gamma$-$gamma$, (x) event shapes and (xi) jet cross sections in $e^+e^-$ collisions, (xii) W boson and (xiii) Z boson decays, and (xiv) jets and (xv) top-quark cross sections in proton-(anti)proton collisions. The current status of the theoretical and experimental uncertainties associated to each extraction method, the improvements expected from LHC data in the coming years, and future perspectives achievable in $e^+e^-$ collisions at the Future Circular Collider (FCC-ee) with $cal{O}$(1--100 ab$^{-1}$) integrated luminosities yielding 10$^{12}$ Z bosons and jets, and 10$^{8}$ W bosons and $tau$ leptons, are thoroughly reviewed. The current uncertainty of the (preliminary) 2015 strong coupling world-average value, $alpha_s(m_Z)$ = 0.1177 $pm$ 0.0013, is about 1%. Some participants believed this may be reduced by a factor of three in the near future by including novel high-precision observables, although this opinion was not universally shared. At the FCC-ee facility, a factor of ten reduction in the $alpha_s$ uncertainty should be possible, mostly thanks to the huge Z and W data samples available.
We have implemented a code for Z + n jets production in ALPGEN, with Z decays into several final states, including l+ l- and t tbar. The MLM prescription is used for matching the matrix element with the parton shower, including in this way the leading soft and collinear corrections. In order to demonstrate its capabilities, we perform a combined analysis of Z -> t tbar and Z -> t tbar j production for a heavy leptophobic gauge boson. It is found that the effect of the extra jet cannot only be accounted for by a K factor multiplying the leading-order cross section. In fact, the combined analysis for Z -> t tbar and Z -> t tbar j presented improves the statistical significance of the signal by 25% (8.55 sigma versus 6.77 sigma for a Z mass of 1 TeV), compared with the results of an inclusive analysis carried out on the same sample of t tbar + t tbar j events.
New Physics searches at the LHC rely very heavily on the precision and accuracy of Standard Model background predictions. Applying the spin-$0$ $s$-channel mediator model, we assess the importance of properly modelling such backgrounds in $tbar{t}$ associated Dark Matter production and discuss higher-order corrections and off-shell effects for the $tbar{t}$ and $tbar{t}Z$ background processes in the presence of extremely exclusive cuts. Exclusion limits are calculated for state-of-the-art NLO full off-shell $tbar{t}$ and $tbar{t}Z$ predictions and compared to those computed with backgrounds in the NWA and / or at LO. We perform the same comparison for several new-physics sensitive observables and evaluate which of them are affected by the top-quark modelling. Additionally, we make suggestions as to which observables should be used to obtain the most stringent limits assuming integrated luminosities of $300$ fb$^{-1}$ and $3000$ fb$^{-1}$.