High Energy Physics Seminar

Fixed-order (FO) predictions capture the hard-scattering dynamics at the LHC, often dominated by strong interactions. Parton Showers (PS) complement them by modeling high-multiplicity events, bridging the gap between theory and experiment. The matching (FO+PS) yields precise and realistic predictions for LHC phenomenology. After discussing the framework for the matching, we present NNLO+PS simulations for Higgs production with a bottom-quark pair (bbH), the last missing channel in single-Higgs observations at the LHC. As a process involving heavy quarks, bbH is ideal for studying QCD precision and flavor-scheme dependence. We compare treatments of the bottom quark as massless (collinear scheme) and massive (decoupling scheme), showing how NNLO QCD corrections reduce discrepancies and enhance prediction reliability. We conclude with recent progress in top-quark physics using the same framework, where accurate high-order predictions are crucial for capturing off-shell effects in fully leptonic decays.

The talk is in 469 Lauritsen.

Contact [email protected] for Zoom link.