Two-Loop Ultrasoft Running of the O(v^2) QCD Quark Potentials

The two-loop ultrasoft contributions to the next-to-leading logarithmic (NLL) running of the QCD potentials at order v^2 are determined. The results represent an important step towards the next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic (NNLL) description of heavy quark pair production and annihilation close to threshold.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures; typos corrected, reference added, information on cross checks added on page 7; acknowledgments adde

Top Threshold Physics

Running a future Linear Collider at the top pair threshold allows for precise measurements of the mass, the widths and the couplings of the top quark. I give a nontechnical review on recent theoretical developments and the theory status in top threshold physics concerning QCD corrections and top quark finite lifetime and electroweak effects. I also discuss threshold physics in the context of measurements of the top Yukawa coupling from $e^+e^-\to t\bar t H$ and of squark pair production.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, PoS style. Invited talk presented at the International Workshop on Top Quark Physics, Coimbra, Portugal, 12-15 Jan 200

Two-Loop Massive Quark Jet Functions in SCET

We calculate the $\mathcal O(\alpha_s^2)$ corrections to the primary massive quark jet functions in Soft-Collinear Effective Theory (SCET). They are an important ingredient in factorized predictions for inclusive jet mass cross sections initiated by massive quarks emerging from a hard interaction with smooth quark mass dependence. Due to the effects coming from the secondary production of massive quark-antiquark pairs there are two options to define the SCET jet function, which we call universal and mass mode jet functions. They are related to whether or not a soft mass mode (zero) bin subtraction is applied for the secondary massive quark contributions and differ in particular concerning the infrared behavior for vanishing quark mass. We advocate that a useful alternative to the common zero-bin subtraction concept is to define the SCET jet functions through subtractions related to collinear-soft matrix elements. This avoids the need to impose additional power counting arguments as required for zero-bin subtractions. We demonstrate how the two SCET jet function definitions may be used in the context of two recently developed factorization approaches to treat secondary massive quark effects. We clarify the relation between these approaches and in which way they are equivalent. Our two-loop calculation involves interesting technical subtleties related to spurious rapidity divergences and infrared regularization in the presence of massive quarks.Comment: 51 pages + appendices, 8 figures, v2: journal versio

The MSR Mass and the O(ΛQCD){\cal O}(\Lambda_{\rm QCD}) Renormalon Sum Rule

We provide a detailed description and analysis of a low-scale short-distance mass scheme, called the MSR mass, that is useful for high-precision top quark mass determinations, but can be applied for any heavy quark $Q$. In contrast to earlier low-scale short-distance mass schemes, the MSR scheme has a direct connection to the well known $\overline{\rm MS}$ mass commonly used for high-energy applications, and is determined by heavy quark on-shell self-energy Feynman diagrams. Indeed, the MSR mass scheme can be viewed as the simplest extension of the $\overline{\rm MS}$ mass concept to renormalization scales $\ll m_Q$. The MSR mass depends on a scale $R$ that can be chosen freely, and its renormalization group evolution has a linear dependence on $R$, which is known as R-evolution. Using R-evolution for the MSR mass we provide details of the derivation of an analytic expression for the normalization of the ${\cal O}(\Lambda_{\rm QCD})$ renormalon asymptotic behavior of the pole mass in perturbation theory. This is referred to as the ${\cal O}(\Lambda_{\rm QCD})$ renormalon sum rule, and can be applied to any perturbative series. The relations of the MSR mass scheme to other low-scale short-distance masses are analyzed as well.Comment: 42 pages + appendices, 6 figures, v2: Refs and Appendix B added, Fig.3 changed from nl=4 to nl=5, v3: journal versio

Electroweak Absorptive Parts in NRQCD Matching Conditions

Electroweak corrections associated with the instability of the top quark to the next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic (NNLL) total top pair threshold cross section in e+e- annihilation are determined. Our method is based on absorptive parts in electroweak matching conditions of the NRQCD operators and the optical theorem. The corrections lead to ultraviolet phase space divergences that have to be renormalized and lead to NLL mixing effects. Numerically, the corrections can amount to several percent and are comparable to the known NNLL QCD corrections.Comment: 17 pages, revtex4, 4 postscript figures included; minor changes in text and references, title modified in printed versio

Top Mass Measurements from Jets and the Tevatron Top-Quark Mass

Theoretical issues are discussed for the measurement of the top-mass using jets, including perturbative and non-perturbative effects that relate experimental observables to the Lagrangian mass, and appropriate choices for mass schemes. Full account for these issues is given for e+e--> t-tbar using a factorization theorem for event shapes for massive quarks. Implications for the Tevatron top-mass measurement are discussed. A mass-scheme, the "MSR-mass", is introduced which allows for a precise description of observables sensitive to scales R << m, but at the same time does not introduce perturbative matching uncertainties in conversion to the MSbar mass.Comment: 7 pages, proceedings for the International Workshop on Top Quark Physics, and the 2nd Workshop on Theory, Phenomenology and Experiment in Heavy Flavor Physics, 2008. v2: reference added, language in section 5 improve

Next-to-leading-logarithmic QCD Corrections to the Cross Section sigma(e+e- to t bar t H) at 500 GeV

We determine the next-to-leading logarithmic (NLL) QCD corrections to the cross section sigma(e+e- to t bar t H) for center-of-mass energies up to 500 GeV. The dynamics is dominated by nonrelativistic effects, and the summation of terms singular in the relative t bar t velocity is mandatory to all orders in the strong coupling constant alpha_s using an effective theory. The summations lead to an enhancement of the tree level predictions by about a factor of two and are important for the determination of the top Yukawa coupling. We also study the impact of polarization of the electron-positron beams and provide a fast approximation formula for the known O(alpha_s) QCD fixed-order prediction.Comment: 18 pages, 3 tables, 5 figure

Charm Quark Mass from Inclusive Semileptonic B Decays

The MSbar charm quark mass is determined to be m_c(m_c)=1224+-17+-54 MeV from a global fit to inclusive B meson decay data, where the first error is experimental, and includes the uncertainty in alpha_s, and the second is an estimate of theoretical uncertainties in the computation. We discuss the implications of the pole mass renormalon in the determination of m_c.Comment: 7 pages, 2 tables; revtex4. References added, minor changes; version to appear in PL

Phase Space Matching and Finite Lifetime Effects for Top-Pair Production Close to Threshold

The top-pair $t\bar t$ production cross section close to threshold in $e^+e^-$ collisions is strongly affected by the small lifetime of the top quark. Since the cross section is defined through final states containing the top decay products, a consistent definition of the cross section depends on prescriptions how these final states are accounted for the cross section. Experimentally, these prescriptions are implemented for example through cuts on kinematic quantities such as the reconstructed top quark invariant masses. As long as these cuts do not reject final states that can arise from the decay of a top and an anti-top quark with a small off-shellness compatible with the nonrelativistic power-counting, they can be implemented through imaginary phase space matching conditions in NRQCD. The prescription-dependent cross section can then be determined from the optical theorem using the $e^+e^-$ forward scattering amplitude. We compute the phase space matching conditions associated to cuts on the top and anti-top invariant masses at next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic (NNLL) order and partially at next-to-next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic (N${}^3$LL) order in the nonrelativistic expansion and, together with finite lifetime and electroweak effects known from previous work, analyze their numerical impact on the $t\bar t$ cross section. We show that the phase space matching contributions are essential to make reliable NRQCD predictions, particularly for energies below the peak region, where the cross section is small. We find that irreducible background contributions associated to final states that do not come from top decays are strongly suppressed and can be neglected for the theoretical predictions.Comment: 62 pages, 21 figure

On Electroweak Matching Conditions for Top Pair Production at Threshold

We determine the real parts of electroweak matching conditions relevant for top quark pair production close to threshold in e+e- annihilation at next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic (NNLL) order. Numerically the corrections are comparable to the NNLL QCD corrections.Comment: 12 pages, revtex4, 1 postscript figure included; minor changes in text and references, version published in Phys. Rev.