On power corrections to the event shape distributions in QCD

We study power corrections to the differential thrust, heavy jet mass and C-parameter distributions in the two-jet kinematical region in e^+e^- annihilation. We argue that away from the end-point region, e>> \Lambda_{QCD}/Q, the leading 1/Q-power corrections are parameterized by a single nonperturbative scale while for e \Lambda_{QCD}/Q one encounters a novel regime in which power corrections of the form 1/(Qe)^n have to be taken into account for arbitrary n. These nonperturbative corrections can be resummed and factor out into a universal nonperturbative distribution, the shape function, and the differential event shape distributions are given by convolution of the shape function with perturbative cross-sections. Choosing a simple ansatz for the shape function we demonstrate a good agreement of the obtained QCD predictions for the distributions and their lowest moments with the existing data over a wide energy interval.Comment: 18 pages, LaTeX style, 4 figure

Energy flow in QCD and event shape functions

Hadronization corrections to the thrust and related event shape distributions in the two-jet kinematical region of e+e- annihilation are summarized by nonperturbative shape functions. The moments of shape functions are given by universal matrix elements in QCD, which describe the energy flow in QCD final states. We show how the nonperturbative structure of these matrix elements may be inferred from resummed perturbation theory and Lorentz invariance. This analysis suggests the same functional forms for the shape functions as were found in phenomenological studies, and sheds light on the physical significance of the parameters that characterize these functions.Comment: 15 pages, LaTeX, 2 figure

Four-point correlation function of stress-energy tensors in N=4 superconformal theories

We derive the explicit expression for the four-point correlation function of stress-energy tensors in four-dimensional N=4 superconformal theory. We show that it has a remarkably simple and suggestive form allowing us to predict a large class of four-point correlation functions involving the stress-energy tensor and other conserved currents. We then apply the obtained results on the correlation functions to computing the energy-energy correlations, which measure the flow of energy in the final states created from the vacuum by a source. We demonstrate that they are given by a universal function independent of the choice of the source. Our analysis relies only on N=4 superconformal symmetry and does not use the dynamics of the theory.Comment: 31 pages; v2: references adde

Resummation of Large Endpoint Corrections to Color-Octet J/psi Photoproduction

An unresolved problem in J/psi phenomenology is a systematic understanding of the differential photoproduction cross section, dsigma/dz [gamma + p -> J/psi + X], where z= E_psi/E_gamma in the proton rest frame. In the non-relativistic QCD (NRQCD) factorization formalism, fixed-order perturbative calculations of color-octet mechanisms suffer from large perturbative and nonperturbative corrections that grow rapidly in the endpoint region, z -> 1. In this paper, NRQCD and soft collinear effective theory are combined to resum these large corrections to the color-octet photoproduction cross section. We derive a factorization theorem for the endpoint differential cross section involving the parton distribution function and the color-octet J/psi shape functions. A one loop matching calculation explicitly confirms our factorization theorem at next-to-leading order. Large perturbative corrections are resummed using the renormalization group. The calculation of the color-octet contribution to dsigma/dz is in qualitative agreement with data. Quantitative tests of the universality of color-octet matrix elements require improved knowledge of shape functions entering these calculations as well as resummation of the color-singlet contribution which accounts for much of the total cross section and also peaks near the endpoint.Comment: 30 pages, 6 figure

Enhanced nonperturbative effects in jet distributions

We consider the triple differential distribution d\Gamma/(dE_J)(dm_J^2)(d\Omega_J) for two-jet events at center of mass energy M, smeared over the endpoint region m_J^2 << M^2, |2 E_J -M| ~ \Delta, \lqcd << \Delta << M. The leading nonperturbative correction, suppressed by \lqcd/\Delta, is given by the matrix element of a single operator. A similar analysis is performed for three jet events, and the generalization to any number of jets is discussed. At order \lqcd/\Delta, non-perturbative effects in four or more jet events are completely determined in terms of two matrix elements which can be measured in two and three jet events.Comment: Significant changes made. The first moment does not vanish--the paper has been modified to reflect this. Relations between different numbers of jets still hol