Next-to-leading Corrections to the Higgs Boson Transverse Momentum Spectrum in Gluon Fusion

We present a fully analytic calculation of the Higgs boson transverse momentum and rapidity distributions, for nonzero Higgs $p_\perp$, at next-to-leading order in the infinite-top-mass approximation. We separate the cross section into a part that contains the dominant soft, virtual, collinear, and small-$p_\perp$-enhanced contributions, and the remainder, which is organized by the contributions due to different parton helicities. We use this cross section to investigate analytically the small-$p_\perp$ limit and compare with the expectation from the resummation of large logarithms of the type $\ln{m_H/p_\perp}$. We also compute numerically the cross section at moderate $p_\perp$ where a fixed-order calculation is reliable. We find a $K$-factor that varies from $\approx1.6-1.8$, and a reduction in the scale dependence, as compared to leading order. Our analysis suggests that the contribution of current parton distributions to the total uncertainty on this cross section at the LHC is probably less than that due to uncalculated higher orders.Comment: 40 pages, 10 figures, JHEP style (minor changes, added reference

Threshold resummation for high-transverse-momentum Higgs production at the LHC

We study the resummation of large logarithmic QCD corrections for the process pp ->H+ X when the Higgs boson H is produced at high transverse momentum. The corrections arise near the threshold for partonic reaction and originate from soft gluon emission. We perform the all-order resummation at next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy and match the resummed result with the next-to-leading order perturbative predictions. The effect of resummation on the Higgs transverse momentum distribution at the LHC is discussed.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figure

Scalar Particle Contribution to Higgs Production via Gluon Fusion at NLO

We consider the gluon fusion production cross section of a scalar Higgs boson in models where fermion and scalar massive colored particles are present. We report analytic expressions for the matrix elements of $gg\to Hg$, $q\bar{q}\to Hg$, and $qg\to Hq$ processes completing the calculation of the NLO QCD corrections in these extended scenarios. The formulas are written in a complete general case, allowing a flexible use for different theoretical models. Applications of our results to two different models are presented: i) a model in which the SM Higgs sector is augmented by a weak doublet scalar in the $SU(N_c)$ adjoint representation. ii) The MSSM, in the limit of neglecting the gluino contribution to the cross section.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures. Minor changes. Refs. adde

Differential Cross Sections for Higgs Boson Production at Tevatron Collider Energies

The transverse momentum $Q_T$ distribution is computed for inclusive Higgs boson production at $\sqrt{S} = 1.96$ TeV. We include all-orders resummation of large logarithms associated with emission of soft gluons at small $Q_T$. We provide results for Higgs boson and $Z^*$ masses from $M_Z$ to 200 GeV. The relatively hard transverse momentum distribution for Higgs boson production suggests possibilities for improvement of the signal to background ratio.Comment: 12 pages, latex, 7 figure

Non-perturbative effects and the resummed Higgs transverse momentum distribution at the LHC

We investigate the form of the non-perturbative parameterization in both the impact parameter (b) space and transverse momentum (p_T) space resummation formalisms for the transverse momentum distribution of single massive bosons produced at hadron colliders. We propose to analyse data on Upsilon hadroproduction as a means of studying the non-perturbative contribution in processes with two gluons in the initial state. We also discuss the theoretical errors on the resummed Higgs transverse momentum distribution at the LHC arising from the non-perturbative contribution.Comment: 22 pages, 10 figure

Effective K-factors for gg -> H -> WW -> lnu lnu at the LHC

A simulation of the search for the Standard Model Higgs boson at the LHC, in the channel gg -> H -> WW -> lnu lnu, is described. Higher-order QCD corrections are taken into account by using a reweighting procedure, which allows us to combine event rates obtained with the PYTHIA Monte Carlo program with the most up-to-date theoretical predictions for the transverse-momentum spectra of the Higgs signal and its corresponding WW background. With this method the discovery potential for Higgs masses between 140 and 180 GeV is recalculated and the potential statistical significance of this channel is found to increase considerably. For a Higgs mass of 165 GeV a signal-to-background ratio of almost 2:1 can be obtained. A statistical significance of five standard deviations might already be achieved with an integrated luminosity close to 0.4 fb^{-1}. Using this approach, an experimental effective K-factor of about 2.04 is obtained for the considered Higgs signature, which is only about 15 % smaller than the theoretical inclusive K-factor.Comment: 16 pages, 8 eps figures, comparison of jet veto efficiencies between PYTHIA and HERWIG added, to appear on JHE

Dielectric Screening in a Spherical Cavity

In this work we examine the electrostatic screening potential due to a point charge located off-centre in a spherical dielectric cavity. This potential is expanded for the case in which the dielectric constant $\epsilon$ is large, several methods of finding the terms in the expansion are investigated, and closed-form expressions are found through third order in $\epsilon$ along with error bounds. Finally, possible uses of these expressions in molecular dynamics simulations of isolated charged molecules is discussed.Comment: 15 Pages, 5 Figures, To be submitted to J. Phys. A. Uses iopart.cl

Microwave Gaseous Disharges

Contains reports on seven research projects.Atomic Energy Commission under Contract AT(30-1)184

Jet-veto in bottom-quark induced Higgs production at next-to-next-to-leading order

We present results for associated Higgs+n-jet production in bottom quark annihilation, for n=0 and n>=1 at NNLO and NLO accuracy, respectively. We consider both the cases with and without b-tagging. Numerical results are presented for parameters relevant for experiments at the LHC.Comment: 27 pages, 13 figures, 8 table

Gluon fusion contribution to W+W- + jet production

We describe the computation of the $gg \to W^+W^-g$ process that contributes to the production of two $W$-bosons and a jet at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). While formally of next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) in QCD, this process can be evaluated separately from the bulk of NNLO QCD corrections because it is finite and gauge-invariant. It is also enhanced by the large gluon flux and by selection cuts employed in the Higgs boson searches in the decay channel $H \to W^+W^-$, as was first pointed out by Binoth {\it et al.} in the context of $gg \to W^+W^-$ production. For cuts employed by the ATLAS collaboration, we find that the gluon fusion contribution to $pp \to W^+W^-j$ enhances the background by about ten percent and can lead to moderate distortions of kinematic distributions which are instrumental for the ongoing Higgs boson searches at the LHC. We also release a public code to compute the NLO QCD corrections to this process, in the form of an add-on to the package {\tt MCFM}.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, 3 table