Top Quark and Higgs Physics, and Two-Loop Calculations

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This proposal requests support for a program of research on the phenomenological aspects of QCD applied to Tevatron and LHC collisions. The aim is to calculate cross-sections and differential distributions that are needed for the study of the top quark, and searches for the Higgs boson and supesymmetric particles. Corrections to leading order calculations in QCD can be as large as 50% or more and so, for the discovery of new particles and new physics beyond the standard model, it is essential to calculate higher order corrections in order to obtain the most precise theoretical predictions of the standard model. Deviations from these predictions can then be viewed with confidence as evidence for new physics. This type of phenomenology is an essential ingredient in the effort to maximise the physics return on the large investment by the U.S. in the LHC and its associated detectors. The broader impacts of this proposal involve the close interaction between theorists and experimentalists in the preparation of experiments and the analysis of the data obtained. There are also strong educational links since the PI will involve undergraduate students in the research, especially those areas that require large scale computing. The university has established a mentoring program for supporting students involved in research, and this proposal matches very well with that program.