53 research outputs found
Matching Tree-Level Matrix Elements with Interleaved Showers
We present an implementation of the so-called CKKW-L merging scheme for
combining multi-jet tree-level matrix elements with parton showers. The
implementation uses the transverse-momentum-ordered shower with interleaved
multiple interactions as implemented in PYTHIA8. We validate our procedure
using e+e--annihilation into jets and vector boson production in hadronic
collisions, with special attention to details in the algorithm which are
formally sub-leading in character, but may have visible effects in some
observables. We find substantial merging scale dependencies induced by the
enforced rapidity ordering in the default PYTHIA8 shower. If this rapidity
ordering is removed the merging scale dependence is almost negligible. We then
also find that the shower does a surprisingly good job of describing the
hardness of multi-jet events, as long as the hardest couple of jets are given
by the matrix elements. The effects of using interleaved multiple interactions
as compared to more simplistic ways of adding underlying-event effects in
vector boson production are shown to be negligible except in a few sensitive
observables. To illustrate the generality of our implementation, we also give
some example results from di-boson production and pure QCD jet production in
hadronic collisions.Comment: 44 pages, 23 figures, as published in JHEP, including all changes
recommended by the refere
W+jets Matrix Elements and the Dipole Cascade
We extend the algorithm for matching fixed-order tree-level matrix element
generators with the Dipole Cascade Model in Ariadne to apply to processes with
incoming hadrons. We test the algoritm on for the process W+n jets at the
Tevatron, and find that the results are fairly insensitive to the cutoff used
to regularize the soft and collinear divergencies in the tree-level matrix
elements. We also investigate a few observables to check the sensitivity to the
matrix element correction
Coherent Parton Showers with Local Recoils
We outline a new formalism for dipole-type parton showers which maintain
exact energy-momentum conservation at each step of the evolution. Particular
emphasis is put on the coherence properties, the level at which recoil effects
do enter and the role of transverse momentum generation from initial state
radiation. The formulated algorithm is shown to correctly incorporate coherence
for soft gluon radiation. Furthermore, it is well suited for easing matching to
next-to-leading order calculations.Comment: 24 pages, 3 figure
Matching matrix elements and shower evolution for top-quark production in hadronic collisions
We study the matching of multijet matrix elements and shower evolution in the
case of top production in hadronic collisions at the Tevatron and at the LHC.
We present the results of the matching algorithm implemented in the ALPGEN
Monte Carlo generator, and compare them with results obtained at the parton
level, and with the predictions of the MC@NLO approach. We highlight the
consistency of the matching algorithm when applied to these final states, and
the excellent agreement obtained with MC@NLO for most inclusive quantities. We
nevertheless identify also a remarkable difference in the rapidity spectrum of
the leading jet accompanying the top quark pair, and comment on the likely
origin of this discrepancy.Comment: 22 pages, 13 figures, 5 tables. JHEP styl
Improving NLO-parton shower matched simulations with higher order matrix elements
In recent times the algorithms for the simulation of hadronic collisions have
been subject to two substantial improvements: the inclusion, within parton
showering, of exact higher order tree level matrix elements (MEPS) and,
separately, next-to-leading order corrections (NLOPS). In this work we examine
the key criteria to be met in merging the two approaches in such a way that the
accuracy of both is preserved, in the framework of the POWHEG approach to
NLOPS. We then ask to what extent these requirements may be fulfilled using
existing simulations, without modifications. The result of this study is a
pragmatic proposal for merging MEPS and NLOPS events to yield much improved
MENLOPS event samples. We apply this method to W boson and top quark pair
production. In both cases results for distributions within the remit of the NLO
calculations exhibit no discernible changes with respect to the pure NLOPS
prediction; conversely, those sensitive to the distribution of multiple hard
jets assume, exactly, the form of the corresponding MEPS results.Comment: 38 pages, 17 figures. v2: added citations and brief discussion of
related works, MENLOPS prescription localized in a subsection. v3: cited 4
more MEPS works in introduction
Giant QCD K-factors beyond NLO
Hadronic observables in Z+jet events can be subject to large NLO corrections
at TeV scales, with K-factors that even reach values of order 50 in some cases.
We develop a method, LoopSim, by which approximate NNLO predictions can be
obtained for such observables, supplementing NLO Z+jet and NLO Z+2-jet results
with a unitarity-based approximation for missing higher loop terms. We first
test the method against known NNLO results for Drell-Yan lepton pt spectra. We
then show our approximate NNLO results for the Z+jet observables. Finally we
examine whether the LoopSim method can provide useful information even in cases
without giant K-factors, with results for observables in dijet events that can
be compared to early LHC data.Comment: 38 pages, 13 figures; v2 includes additional reference
Hadronic final states in deep-inelastic scattering with Sherpa
We extend the multi-purpose Monte-Carlo event generator Sherpa to include
processes in deeply inelastic lepton-nucleon scattering. Hadronic final states
in this kinematical setting are characterised by the presence of multiple
kinematical scales, which were up to now accounted for only by specific
resummations in individual kinematical regions. Using an extension of the
recently introduced method for merging truncated parton showers with
higher-order tree-level matrix elements, it is possible to obtain predictions
which are reliable in all kinematical limits. Different hadronic final states,
defined by jets or individual hadrons, in deep-inelastic scattering are
analysed and the corresponding results are compared to HERA data. The various
sources of theoretical uncertainties of the approach are discussed and
quantified. The extension to deeply inelastic processes provides the
opportunity to validate the merging of matrix elements and parton showers in
multi-scale kinematics inaccessible in other collider environments. It also
allows to use HERA data on hadronic final states in the tuning of hadronisation
models.Comment: 32 pages, 22 figure
Scaling Patterns for QCD Jets
Jet emission at hadron colliders follows simple scaling patterns. Based on
perturbative QCD we derive Poisson and staircase scaling for final state as
well as initial state radiation. Parton density effects enhance staircase
scaling at low multiplicities. We propose experimental tests of our theoretical
findings in Z+jets and QCD gap jets production based on minor additions to
current LHC analyses.Comment: 36 pages, 16 figure
Efficient Matrix-Element Matching with Sector Showers
A Markovian shower algorithm based on "sector antennae" is presented and its
main properties illustrated. Tree-level full-color matrix elements can be
automatically incorporated in the algorithm and are re-interpreted as
process-dependent 2 -> n antenna functions. In hard parts of phase-space, these
functions generate tree-level matrix-element corrections to the shower. In soft
parts, they should improve the logarithmic accuracy of it. The number of
matrix-element evaluations required per order of matching is 1, with an
unweighting efficiency that remains very high for arbitrary numbers of legs.
Total rates can be augmented to NLO precision in a straightforward way. As a
proof of concept, we present an implementation in the publicly available VINCIA
plug-in to the PYTHIA 8 event generator, for hadronic decays including
tree-level matrix elements through .Comment: 35 pages, 24 figure
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