NNLO phase space master integrals for two-to-one inclusive cross sections in dimensional regularization

We evaluate all phase space master integrals which are required for the total cross section of generic 2 -> 1 processes at NNLO as a series expansion in the dimensional regulator epsilon. Away from the limit of threshold production, our expansion includes one order higher than what has been available in the literature. At threshold, we provide expressions which are valid to all orders in terms of Gamma functions and hypergeometric functions. These results are a necessary ingredient for the renormalization and mass factorization of singularities in 2 -> 1 inclusive cross sections at NNNLO in QCD.Comment: 37 pages, plus 3 ancillary files containing analytic expressions in Maple forma

Cross-Order Relations in N=4 Supersymmetric Gauge Theories

The anti-de Sitter/conformal field theory duality conjecture raises the question of how the perturbative expansion in the conformal field theory can resum to a simple function. We exhibit a relation between the one-loop and two-loop amplitudes whose generalization to higher-point and higher-loop amplitudes would answer this question. We also provide evidence for the first of these generalizations.Comment: 6 pages, talk given at the 3rd International Symposium on Quantum Theory and Symmetries, Cincinnati, OH, Sept 10-14, 2003; v2: Mispositioned figure in eqn. 1 fixe

The fully differential hadronic production of a Higgs boson via bottom quark fusion at NNLO

The fully differential computation of the hadronic production cross section of a Higgs boson via bottom quarks is presented at NNLO in QCD. Several differential distributions with their corresponding scale uncertainties are presented for the 8 TeV LHC. This is the first application of the method of non-linear mappings for NNLO differential calculations at hadron colliders.Comment: 27 pages, 13 figures, 1 lego plo

Decision support for optimised irrigation scheduling

The system, developed under the FLOW-AID (an FP6 project), is a farm level water management system of special value in situations where the water availability and quality is limited. This market-ready precision irrigation management system features new models, hardware and software. The hardware platform delivers a maintenance-free low cost dielectric tensiometer and several low-end irrigation or fertigation controllers for serving different situations. The software includes a complete, web based, Decision Support System (DSS) that consists of an expert planner for farm zoning (MOPECO) and a universal irrigation scheduler, based on crop-water stress models (UNIPI) and water and nutrient uptake calculations. The system, designed also to service greenhouse fertigation and hydroponics, is scalable from one to many zones. It consists of 1) a data gathering tool which uploads agronomic data, from monitored crops around the world, to a central web Data Base (DB), and 2) a web based Decision Support System (DSS). The DSS processes intelligently the data of the crop using Crop Response Models, Nutrient Uptake Models and Water Uptake Models. The central system returns over Internet to the low-end controller a command file containing water scheduling and nutrient supply guideline

Finite-top-mass effects in NNLO Higgs production

We construct an accurate approximation to the exact NNLO cross section for Higgs production in gluon-gluon fusion by matching the dominant finite top mass corrections recently computed by us to the known result in the infinite mass limit. The ensuing corrections to the partonic cross section are very large when the center of mass energy of the partonic collision is much larger than the Higgs mass, but lead to a moderate correction at the percent level to the total Higgs production cross section at the LHC. Our computation thus reduces the uncertainty related to these corrections at the LHC from the percent to the per mille level.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; to be published in the proceedings of QCD2008. Reference adde

The NNLO gluon fusion Higgs production cross-section with many heavy quarks

We consider extensions of the Standard Model with a number of additional heavy quarks which couple to the Higgs boson via top-like Yukawa interactions. We construct an effective theory valid for a Higgs boson mass which is lighter than twice the lightest heavy quark mass and compute the corresponding Wilson coefficient through NNLO. We present numerical results for the gluon fusion cross-section at the Tevatron for an extension of the Standard Model with a fourth generation of heavy quarks. The gluon fusion cross-section is enhanced by a factor of roughly 9 with respect to the Standard Model value. Tevatron experimental data can place stringent exclusion limits for the Higgs mass in this model.Comment: 14 pages, 1 tabl

Heavy-quark mass effects in Higgs boson production at the LHC

We study the impact of heavy-quark masses in Higgs boson production through gluon fusion at the LHC. We extend previous computations of the fully differential cross section and of the transverse momentum spectrum of the Higgs boson by taking into account the finite top- and bottom-quark masses up to O(alpha_S^3). We also discuss the issues arising when the heavy-quark mass is much smaller than the Higgs mass. Our results are implemented in updated versions of the HNNLO and HRes numerical programs.Comment: Minor modifications, results unchanged. Discussion on uncertainties added. Version published on JHE

Three-jet cross sections in hadron-hadron collisions at next-to-leading order

We present a new QCD event generator for hadron collider which can calculate one-, two- and three-jet cross sections at next-to-leading order accuracy. In this letter we study the transverse energy spectrum of three-jet hadronic events using the kT algorithm. We show that the next-to-leading order correction significantly reduces the renormalization and factorization scale dependence of the three-jet cross section.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, REVTEX

On the Numerical Evaluation of Loop Integrals With Mellin-Barnes Representations

An improved method is presented for the numerical evaluation of multi-loop integrals in dimensional regularization. The technique is based on Mellin-Barnes representations, which have been used earlier to develop algorithms for the extraction of ultraviolet and infrared divergencies. The coefficients of these singularities and the non-singular part can be integrated numerically. However, the numerical integration often does not converge for diagrams with massive propagators and physical branch cuts. In this work, several steps are proposed which substantially improve the behavior of the numerical integrals. The efficacy of the method is demonstrated by calculating several two-loop examples, some of which have not been known before.Comment: 13 pp. LaTe

Factorization and NNLL Resummation for Higgs Production with a Jet Veto

Using methods of effective field theory, we derive the first all-order factorization theorem for the Higgs-boson production cross section with a jet veto, imposed by means of a standard sequential recombination jet algorithm. Like in the case of small-q_T resummation in Drell-Yan and Higgs production, the factorization is affected by a collinear anomaly. Our analysis provides the basis for a systematic resummation of large logarithms log(m_H/p_T^veto) beyond leading-logarithmic order. Specifically, we present predictions for the resummed jet-veto cross section and efficiency at next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic order. Our results have important implications for Higgs-boson searches at the LHC, where a jet veto is required to suppress background events.Comment: 28 pages, 5 figures; v2: published version; note added in proo