Resummation and NLO Matching of Event Shapes with Effective Field Theory

The resummed differential thrust rate in e+e- annihilation is calculated using Soft-Collinear Effective Theory (SCET). The resulting distribution in the two-jet region T~1 is found to agree with the corresponding expression derived by the standard approach. A matching procedure to account for finite corrections at T < 1 is then described. There are two important advantages of the SCET approach. First, SCET manifests a dynamical seesaw scale q = p^2/Q in addition to the center-of-mass energy Q and the jet mass scale p ~ Q ~ sqrt(1 - T). Thus, the resummation of logs of p/q can be cleanly distinguished from the resummation of logs of Q/p. Second, finite parts of loop amplitudes appear in specific places in the perturbative distribution: in the matching to the hard function, at the scale Q, in matching to the jet function, at the scale p, and in matching to the soft function, at the scale q. This allows for a consistent merger of fixed order corrections and resummation. In particular, the total NLO e+e- cross section is reproduced from these finite parts without having to perform additional infrared regulation.Comment: 18 pages, 1 figure; notation updated and references adde

A precise determination of alpha_s from LEP thrust data using effective field theory

Starting from a factorization theorem in Soft-Collinear Effective Theory, the thrust distribution in e+e- collisions is calculated including resummation of the next-to-next-to-next-to leading logarithms. This is a significant improvement over previous calculations which were only valid to next-to-leading logarithmic order. The fixed-order expansion of the resummed result approaches the exact fixed-order distribution towards the kinematic endpoint. This close agreement provides a verification of both the effective field theory expression and recently completed next-to-next-to-leading fixed order event shapes. The resummed distribution is then matched to fixed order, resulting in a distribution valid over a large range of thrust. A fit to ALEPH and OPAL data from LEP 1 and LEP 2 produces alpha_s(m_Z)= 0.1172 +/- 0.0010 +/- 0.0008 +/-0.0012 +/- 0.0012, where the uncertainties are respectively statistical, systematic, hadronic, and perturbative. This is one of the world's most precise extractions of alpha_s to date.Comment: 37 pages, 12 figures; v2: hadronization discussion and appendices expande

Seeing in Color: Jet Superstructure

A new class of observables is introduced which aims to characterize the superstructure of an event, that is, features, such as color flow, which are not determined by the jet four-momenta alone. Traditionally, an event is described as having jets which are independent objects; each jet has some energy, size, and possible substructure such as subjets or heavy flavor content. This description discards information connecting the jets to each other, which can be used to determine if the jets came from decay of a color singlet object, or if they were initiated by quarks or gluons. An example superstructure variable, pull, is presented as a simple handle on color flow. It can be used on an event-by-event basis as a tool for distinguishing previously irreducible backgrounds at the Tevatron and the LHC.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. Published version. Some clarifications and references adde

Threshold Hadronic Event Shapes with Effective Field Theory

Hadronic event shapes, that is, event shapes at hadron colliders, could provide a great way to test both standard and non-standard theoretical models. However, they are significantly more complicated than event shapes at e+e- colliders, involving multiple hard directions, multiple channels and multiple color structures. In this paper, hadronic event shapes are examined with Soft-Collinear Effective Theory (SCET) by expanding around the dijet limit. A simple event shape, threshold thrust, is defined. This observable is global and has no free parameters, making it ideal for clarifying how resummation of hadronic event shapes can be done in SCET. Threshold thrust is calculated at next-to-leading fixed order (NLO) in SCET and resummed to next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy (NNLL). The scale-dependent parts of the soft function are shown to agree with what is expected from general observations, and the factorization formula is explicitly shown to be renormalization group invariant to 1-loop. Although threshold thrust is not itself expected to be phenomenologically interesting, it can be modified into a related observable which allows the jet pT distribution to be calculated and resummed to NNLL+NLO accuracy. As in other processes, one expects resummation to be important even for moderate jet momenta due to dynamical threshold enhancement. A general discussion of threshold enhancement and non-global logs in hadronic event shapes is also included.Comment: 38 pages, 2 figures; small typos corrected in v

Reducing the Top Quark Mass Uncertainty with Jet Grooming

The measurement of the top quark mass has large systematic uncertainties coming from the Monte Carlo simulations that are used to match theory and experiment. We explore how much that uncertainty can be reduced by using jet grooming procedures. We estimate the inherent ambiguity in what is meant by Monte Carlo mass to be around 530 MeV without any corrections. This uncertainty can be reduced by 60% to 200 MeV by calibrating to the W mass and a further 33% to 140 MeV by applying soft-drop jet grooming (or by 20% more to 170 MeV with trimming). At e+e- colliders, the associated uncertainty is around 110 MeV, reducing to 50 MeV after calibrating to the W mass. By analyzing the tuning parameters, we conclude that the importance of jet grooming after calibrating to the W mass is to reduce sensitivity to the underlying event.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figure

Quantum Field Theory and Unification in AdS5

We consider gauge bosons in the bulk of AdS5 in a two-brane theory that addresses the hierarchy problem. We show such a theory can be consistent with gauge coupling unification at a high scale. We discuss subtleties in this calculation and show how to regulate consistently in a bounded AdS5 background. Our regularization is guided by the holographic dual of the calculation.Comment: Published version, some typos correcte