High-order Calculations for Top Quark and Higgs Production

该奖项资助肯尼索州立大学Nikolaos Kidonakis教授的研究活动。Kidonakis教授的研究项目涉及与大型强子对撞机（LHC）相关的基本粒子物理学，LHC是世界上能量最高的粒子对撞机。通过在大型强子对撞机中以高能量相互碰撞质子，物理学家希望了解物质的基本粒子及其在更高能量和更小距离下的相互作用，这是以前从未探索过的。顶夸克是迄今为止发现的质量最大的基本粒子，它有许多独特的性质，因此它是大型强子对撞机物理项目的核心部分。希格斯玻色子是产生质量的粒子，它在大型强子对撞机上的发现是物理学上的一个重大发现，进一步阐明它的性质是当务之急。在他的研究中，基多纳基斯教授的目标是发展理论方法，对大型强子对撞机的过程做出精确的预测。特别是，Kidonakis教授将通过执行最先进的计算来改进顶夸克产生和希格斯产生的理论预测。因此，该项目的研究将通过促进科学在其最基本的方向之一的进步来促进国家利益：发现和理解基本粒子和新的物理定律。预计该项目还将产生更广泛的重大影响。Kidonakis教授将让学生参与他的研究，从而为刚开始研究该领域的初级物理学家提供关键的培训。他还打算就他的研究成果进行公开演讲，并在课程中引入从他的研究中得出的材料。从技术上讲，Kidonakis教授提出的研究目标是计算高阶微扰修正，以改进标准模型和新物理模型中顶夸克产生和希格斯产生的理论预测。高阶校正，包括共线、软胶子和次导对数校正，将计算微分截面和总截面。通过减少尺度变化带来的不确定性来提高理论预测的准确性，包含这些修正是必要的。微分分布非常重要，因为它们对新物理很敏感。这些计算将在标准模型过程和标准模型之外的过程中执行，例如在超对称模型或具有改变味道的中性电流的模型中。该项目的结果对于为基准过程做出最先进的预测以及对LHC数据的解释至关重要。研究结果将通过在评审期刊上发表、在国际会议和讲习班上发言以及通过与大型强子对撞机的实验人员接触等方式广泛传播。

This award funds the research activities of Professor Nikolaos Kidonakis at Kennesaw State University.The research project of Professor Kidonakis concerns elementary particle physics that is relevant to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which is the highest-energy particle collider in the world. By colliding protons against each other at high energies at the LHC, physicists expect to learn about the fundamental particles of matter and their interactions at higher energies and smaller distances than have ever been previously explored. The top quark is the most massive fundamental particle that has been discovered, it has many unique properties, and thus it is a central part of the physics program at the LHC. The Higgs boson is the particle responsible for mass generation, its discovery at the LHC was a major discovery in physics, and the further elucidation of its properties is a high priority. In his research, Professor Kidonakis aims to develop theoretical methods to make precise predictions for processes at the LHC. In particular, Professor Kidonakis will improve theoretical predictions for top-quark production as well as for Higgs production by performing state-of-the-art calculations. As a result, the project research will advance the national interest by promoting the progress of science in one of its most fundamental directions: the discovery and understanding of elementary particles and new physical laws. This project is also envisioned to have significant broader impacts. Professor Kidonakis will involve students in his research, and thereby provide critical training for junior physicists beginning research in this field. He also intends to give public lectures on his research results, and introduce material into course curricula that emerge from his research.More technically, the objective of the proposed research of Professor Kidonakis is to calculate higher-order perturbative corrections to improve theoretical predictions for top-quark production and Higgs production in the Standard Model and in models of new physics. High-order corrections, including collinear, soft-gluon, and subleading logarithmic corrections, will be calculated for differential and total cross sections. The inclusion of these corrections is necessary to improve the accuracy of theoretical predictions by reducing uncertainty due to scale variation. Differential distributions are very important because they are sensitive to new physics. These calculations will be performed both for Standard-Model processes and for processes beyond the Standard Model, such as in supersymmetric models or models with flavor-changing neutral currents. The results of the project will be crucial in making state-of-the-art predictions for benchmark processes and for the interpretation of data from the LHC. The research findings will be widely disseminated through publication in refereed journals and presentations at international conferences and workshops, and through contacts with experimenters at the LHC.