Inclusive production at large transverse momentum in QCD

We calculate the cross section for the process quark + quark → quark (with large transverse momentum) + anything, up to order g⁶ in the cross section and in the leading-logarithm approximation. The result is suggestive of a simple ansatz for the calculation of the asymptotic behaviour of cross sections for the production of particles or jets with large transverse momenta.     

Hadron production at large transverse momentum and QCD

The predictions of a QCD-based hardscattering model for large p_T hadronic processes are investigated. Not only quark-quark scattering but all contributions in lowest order are considered. At low x_T, gluon-gluon and quark-gluon scattering are found to dominate the quark-quark term. At present energies the QCD predictions lie below the data but already come very close at the highest ISR energy. Predictions for higher p_T values and higher energies are made.     

NLO electroweak corrections to Higgs boson production at hadron colliders

Results for the complete NLO electroweak corrections to Standard Model Higgs production via gluon fusion are included in the total cross section for hadronic collisions. Artificially large threshold effects are avoided working in the complex-mass scheme. The numerical impact at LHC (Tevatron) energies is explored for Higgs mass values up to 500 GeV (200 GeV). Assuming a complete factorization of the electroweak corrections, one finds a +5% shift with respect to the NNLO QCD cross section for a Higgs mass of 120 GeV both at the LHC and the Tevatron. Adopting two different factorization schemes for the electroweak effects, an estimate of the corresponding total theoretical uncertainty is computed.     

Lepton pair production at large transverse momentum in second order QCD

The production of Drell-Yan pairs at large transverse momentum is calculated up to O(α_s²) for a non-singlet combination defined as the cross section for an incident particle minus the analogous cross section for an incident antiparticle. Analytic results are presented for all cross sections and numerical estimates are given at various energies of experimental interest.     

NNLO benchmarks for gauge and Higgs boson production at TeV hadron colliders

The inclusive production cross sections for W⁺,W⁻$W^{+},W^{-}$ and Z⁰$Z^0$-bosons form important benchmarks for the physics at hadron colliders. We perform a detailed comparison of the predictions for these standard candles based on recent next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) parton parameterizations and new analyses including the combined HERA data, compare to all available experimental results, and discuss the predictions for present and upcoming RHIC, SPS, Tevatron and LHC energies. The rates for gauge boson production at the LHC can be rather confidently predicted with an accuracy of better than about 10% at NNLO. We also present detailed NNLO predictions for the Higgs boson production cross sections for Tevatron and LHC energies (1.96, 7, 8, 14 TeV), and propose a possible method to monitor the gluon distribution experimentally in the kinematic region close to the mass range expected for the Higgs boson. The production cross sections of the Higgs boson at the LHC are presently predicted with an accuracy of about 10–17%. The inclusion of the NNLO contributions is mandatory for achieving such accuracies since the total uncertainties are substantially larger at NLO.     

NNLO QCD corrections to the resonant sneutrino/slepton production at hadron colliders

We present a complete next to next to leading order QCD corrections to the resonant production of sneutrino and charged slepton at the Tevatron and the Large Hadron Collider within the context of R-parity violating supersymmetric model. We have demonstrated the role of NNLO QCD corrections in reducing uncertainties resulting from renormalisation and factorisation scales and thereby making our predictions reliable. We have incorporated soft gluon effects at N³LO${\mathrm{N}}^3\mathrm{LO}$ level in order to study the stability of our results under perturbation. The results obtained in this article are also applicable to resonance production of any color-neutral scalar coupled to fermions through Yukawa interaction.     

Towards Higgs boson production in gluon fusion to NNLO in the MSSM

We consider the Higgs boson production in the gluon-fusion channel to next-to-next-to-leading order within the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. In particular, we present analytical results for the matching coefficient of the effective theory and study its influence on the total production cross section in the limit where the masses of all MSSM particles coincide. For supersymmetric masses below 500 GeV it is possible to find parameters leading to a significant enhancement of the Standard Model cross section, the K-factors, however, change only marginally.     

Initial-state radiation at LEP energies and the corrections to Higgs boson production

It is shown that for e⁺e^? scattering processes described by the exchange of one photon or vector boson the O(α) radiative corrections to the initial state completely factorize the lowest-order cross section. This factorization holds for both hard and soft (or virtual) photons. We present a formalism for applying these radiative corrections in a process-independent way, and described the corresponding computer program. As an application we study the initial-state radiative corrections to the Higgs production processes e⁺e^? → μ⁺μ^?H and e⁺e^? → e⁺e^?H.