NNLO Corrections to the Polarized Drell-Yan Coefficient Function

We present the full next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) corrections to the coefficient function for the polarized cross section $d \Delta\sigma/d Q$ of the Drell-Yan process. We study the effect of these corrections on the process $p+p\to l^+l^-+`X'$ at an C.M. energy $\sqrt{S}=200 GeV$. All QCD partonic subprocesses have been included provided the lepton pair is created by a virtual photon, which is a valid approximation for a lepton pair invariant mass $Q<50 GeV$. For this reaction the dominant subprocess is given by $q+\bar q\to \gamma^*+`X'$ and its higher order corrections so that it provides us with an excellent tool to measure the polarized sea-quark densities.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, 7th DESY Workshop on Elementary Particle Theory, Loops and Legs in Quantum Field Theory, Zinnowitz, Germany, April 25-30, 200

Two-loop corrections to Higgs boson production

In this paper we present the complete two-loop vertex corrections to scalar and pseudo-scalar Higgs boson production for general colour factors for the gauge group ${\rm SU(N)}$ in the limit where the top quark mass gets infinite. We derive a general formula for the vertex correction which holds for conserved and non conserved operators. For the conserved operator we take the electromagnetic vertex correction as an example whereas for the non conserved operators we take the two vertex corrections above. Our observations for the structure of the pole terms $1/\epsilon^4$, $1/\epsilon^3$ and $1/\epsilon^2$ in two loop order are the same as made earlier in the literature for electromagnetism. However we also elucidate the origin of the second order single pole term which is equal to the second order singular part of the anomalous dimension plus a universal function which is the same for the quark and the gluon. [3mm]Comment: 27 pages LaTeX.We correct some misprints. Moreover we have discovered that the second order single pole term is equal to the singular part of the second order anomalous dimension plus a universal function which is the same for the quark and the gluon. This holds for vertex corrections as well as for scattering amplitude

Defining stage-specific activity of potent new inhibitors of Cryptosporidium parvum growth in vitro

Currently, nitazoxanide is the only FDA-approved treatment for cryptosporidiosis; unfortunately, it is ineffective in immunocompromised patients, has varied efficacy in immunocompetent individuals, and is not approved in infants under 1 year of age. Identifying new inhibitors for the treatment of cryptosporidiosis requires standardized and quantifiable in vitro assays for assessing potency, selectivity, timing of activity, and reversibility. Here, we provide new protocols for defining which stages of the life cycle are susceptible to four highly active compound classes that likely inhibit different targets in the parasite. We also utilize a newly developed long-term culture system to define assays for monitoring reversibility as a means of defining cidal activity as a function of concentration and time of treatment. These assays should provide valuable in vitro parameters to establish conditions for efficacious in vivo treatment.Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis have emerged as major enteric pathogens of infants in the developing world, in addition to their known importance in immunocompromised adults. Although there has been recent progress in identifying new small molecules that inhibit Cryptosporidium sp. growth in vitro or in animal models, we lack information about their mechanism of action, potency across the life cycle, and cidal versus static activities. Here, we explored four potent classes of compounds that include inhibitors that likely target phosphatidylinositol 4 kinase (PI4K), phenylalanine-tRNA synthetase (PheRS), and several potent inhibitors with unknown mechanisms of action. We utilized monoclonal antibodies and gene expression probes for staging life cycle development to define the timing of when inhibitors were active during the life cycle of Cryptosporidium parvum grown in vitro. These different classes of inhibitors targeted different stages of the life cycle, including compounds that blocked replication (PheRS inhibitors), prevented the segmentation of daughter cells and thus blocked egress (PI4K inhibitors), or affected sexual-stage development (a piperazine compound of unknown mechanism). Long-term cultivation of C. parvum in epithelial cell monolayers derived from intestinal stem cells was used to distinguish between cidal and static activities based on the ability of parasites to recover from treatment. Collectively, these approaches should aid in identifying mechanisms of action and for designing in vivo efficacy studies based on time-dependent concentrations needed to achieve cidal activity

NNLO coefficient functions of Higgs and Drell--Yan cross sections in Mellin space

We calculate the Mellin moments of next-to-next-to-leading order coefficient functions of the Drell-Yan and Higgs production cross sections. The results can be expressed in term of finite harmonic sums which are maximally threefold up to weight four. Various algebraic relations among these finite sums reduce the complexity of the results suitable for fast numerical evaluations. It is shown that only five non--trivial functions occur besides Euler's $\psi$--function in the representation of these Wilson coefficients.Comment: 1 latex file, 1 style file, Contribution to the Proceedings of "Loops and Legs in Quantum Field Theory 2004", Zinnowitz, Usedom Island, Germany, April 200

Differential Cross Sections for Higgs Production

We review recent theoretical progress in evaluating higher order QCD corrections to Higgs boson differential distributions at hadron-hadron colliders

QCD threshold corrections to di-lepton and Higgs rapidity distributions beyond N2{}^2LO

We present threshold enhanced QCD corrections to rapidity distributions of di-leptons in the Drell-Yan process and of Higgs particles in both gluon fusion and bottom quark annihilation processes using Sudakov resummed cross sections. We have used renormalisation group invariance and the mass factorisation theorem that these hard scattering cross sections satisfy as well as Sudakov resummation of QCD amplitudes. We find that these higher order threshold QCD corrections stabilise the theoretical predictions under scale variations.Comment: 1+34 pages, four plot

Threshold corrections to rapidity distributions of Z and W^\pm bosons beyond N^2 LO at hadron colliders

Threshold enhanced perturbative QCD corrections to rapidity distributions of $Z$ and $W^\pm$ bosons at hadron colliders are presented using the Sudakov resummed cross sections at N${}^3$LO level. We have used renormalisation group invariance and the mass factorisation theorem that these hard scattering cross sections satisfy to construct the QCD amplitudes. We show that these higher order threshold QCD corrections stabilise the theoretical predictions for vector boson production at the LHC under variations of both renormalisation and factorisation scales.Comment: 17 pages, 8 eps figures. This paper is dedicated to the memory of W.L.G.A.M. van Neerve