Dr Alexander Karlberg

Abstract:

We calculate the fully differential next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) QCD corrections to vector-boson fusion (VBF) Higgs pair production. This calculation is achieved in the limit in which there is no colored cross-talk between the colliding protons, using the projection-to-Born method. We present differential cross sections of key observables, showing corrections of up to 3%–4% at this order after typical VBF cuts, with the total cross section receiving contributions of about 2%. In contrast to single Higgs VBF production, we find that the NNLO corrections are for the most part within the next-to-leading order scale uncertainty bands.

Abstract:

© 2019, The Author(s). We present an implementation of WZjj production via vector-boson fusion in the POWHEG BOX, a public tool for the matching of next-to-leading order QCD calculations with multi-purpose parton-shower generators. We provide phenomenological results for electroweak WZjj production with fully leptonic decays at the LHC in realistic setups and discuss theoretical uncertainties associated with the simulation. We find that beyond the leading-order approximation the dependence on the unphysical factorization and renormalization scales is mild. The two tagging jets are furthermore very stable against parton-shower effects. However, considerable sensitivities to the shower Monte-Carlo program used are observed for central-jet veto observables.

Abstract:

We calculate the next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N$^3$LO) QCD corrections to vector-boson fusion (VBF) Higgs pair production in the limit in which there is no partonic exchange between the two protons. We show that the inclusive cross section receives negligible corrections at this order, while the scale variation uncertainties are reduced by a factor four. We present differential distributions for the transverse momentum and rapidity of the final state Higgs bosons, and show that there is almost no kinematic dependence to the third order corrections. Finally we study the impact of deviations from the Standard Model in the trilinear Higgs coupling, and show that the structure of the higher order corrections does not depend on the self-coupling. These results are implemented in the latest release of the proVBFH-incl program.