CTEQ nuclear parton distribution functions

We show for the first time preliminary results of nuclear parton distribution function analysis of charged lepton DIS and Drell-Yan data within the CTEQ framework including error PDFs. We compare our error estimates to estimates of different nPDF groups.Comment: 5 pages, to appear in the proceedings of XXI International Workshop on Deep-Inelastic Scattering and Related Subjects, Marseilles, Franc

Heavy Quark Production in the ACOT Scheme Beyond NLO

We analyze the properties of the ACOT scheme for heavy quark production and make use of the MS-Bar massless results at NNLO and N3LO for the structure functions F2 and FL in neutral current deep-inelastic scattering to estimate the higher order corrections. The dominant heavy quark mass effects at higher orders can be taken into account using the massless Wilson coefficients together with an appropriate slow-rescaling prescription implementing the phase space constraints. Combining the exact ACOT scheme at NLO with these expressions should provide a good approximation to the full calculation in the ACOT scheme at NNLO and N3LO.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. Presented at DIS12, March 2012, Bonn, German

A Hybrid Scheme for Heavy Flavors: Merging the FFNS and VFNS

We introduce a Hybrid Variable Flavor Number Scheme for heavy flavors, denoted H-VFNS, which incorporates the advantages of both the traditional Variable Flavor Number Scheme (VFNS) as well as the Fixed Flavor Number Scheme (FFNS). By including an explicit $N_F$-dependence in both the Parton Distribution Functions (PDFs) and the strong coupling constant $\alpha_S$, we generate coexisting sets of PDFs and $\alpha_S$ for $N_F=\{3,4,5,6\}$ at any scale $\mu$, that are related analytically by the $\overline{\text{MS}}$ matching conditions. The H-VFNS resums the heavy quark contributions and provides the freedom to choose the optimal $N_F$ for each particular data set. Thus, we can fit selected HERA data in a FFNS framework, while retaining the benefits of the VFNS to analyze LHC data at high scales. We illustrate how such a fit can be implemented for the case of both HERA and LHC data.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, updated to match journa

Update on nCTEQ PDFs: nuclear PDF uncertainties and LHC applications

We present updated nCTEQ nuclear parton distribution functions with errors including pion production data from RHIC. We compare them with the results of other groups and present selected LHC applications.Comment: Presented at DIS2014, 28 April - 2 May 2014, Warsaw, Poland. PoS(DIS2014)04

Strange Quark PDFs and Implications for Drell-Yan Boson Production at the LHC

Global analyses of Parton Distribution Functions (PDFs) have provided incisive constraints on the up and down quark components of the proton, but constraining the other flavor degrees of freedom is more challenging. Higher-order theory predictions and new data sets have contributed to recent improvements. Despite these efforts, the strange quark PDF has a sizable uncertainty, particularly in the small x region. We examine the constraints from experiment and theory, and investigate the impact of this uncertainty on LHC observables. In particular, we study W/Z production to see how the s-quark uncertainty propagates to these observables, and examine the extent to which precise measurements at the LHC can provide additional information on the proton flavor structure.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, added reference

Nuclear corrections in neutrino-nucleus DIS and their compatibility with global NPDF analyses

We perform a global chi^2-analysis of nuclear parton distribution functions using data from charged current neutrino-nucleus deep-inelastic scattering (DIS), charged-lepton-nucleus DIS, and the Drell-Yan (DY) process. We show that the nuclear corrections in nu-A DIS are not compatible with the predictions derived from l^+A DIS and DY data. We quantify this result using a hypothesis-testing criterion based on the chi^2 distribution which we apply to the total chi^2 as well as to the chi^2 of the individual data sets. We find that it is not possible to accommodate the data from nu-A and l^+A DIS by an acceptable combined fit. Our result has strong implications for the extraction of both nuclear and proton parton distribution functions using combined neutrino and charged-lepton data sets.Comment: 5 page