- The paper demonstrates that including full top-quark mass dependence at NLO results in a 14% lower cross section compared to HEFT approximations.
- It employs advanced computational tools such as GoSam, Reduze, and SecDec to handle complex two-loop integrals and numerical integrations.
- The study reveals that top-quark mass effects diminish the Higgs pair invariant mass distribution by 20-30% at high energies, refining theoretical predictions.
Higgs Boson Pair Production in Gluon Fusion: A Detailed Examination
The computation of Higgs boson pair production via gluon fusion at next-to-leading order (NLO) in QCD is a substantial subject in the domain of theoretical high-energy physics. This paper rigorously addresses the intricate aspects encompassing the complete top-quark mass dependence in such calculations. Prior attempts have typically either neglected this complexity or relied on various approximations. This work presents a meticulous analysis of these convoluted calculations by employing sophisticated computational tools.
The authors have solidly contributed to the evaluation of the cross section and the invariant mass distribution for the Higgs boson pair production. They highlight the employment of an extended version of the program GoSam, in conjunction with Reduze for integral reduction, and SecDec for numerical integration of the complex two-loop integrals. These software tools have been pivotal in handling the demanding computational tasks, especially given the challenge of integrating multiple scales associated with the top-quark and Higgs mass.
In assessing the results, the paper finds significant deviations when contrasting the NLO outcomes with available approximations which do not fully incorporate the top-quark mass effects. The deviations emphasize that a comprehensive treatment of top-quark mass effects at NLO is crucial for reliable predictions. Specifically, it is noted that including full top-quark mass dependence leads to a 14% smaller cross section compared to the Born-improved HEFT (Higgs Effective Field Theory) approximation, showing that simplification strategies could introduce meaningful inaccuracies in theoretical predictions.
The paper reports that the computationally intensive NLO results indicate that top-quark mass effects decrease the Higgs pair invariant mass distribution by 20-30% at higher energy scales (~450 GeV and above) compared to leading-order approximations. Such discrepancies underline the significance of complete top-quark considerations, especially within high-energy regimes crucial for phenomenological explorations and potential new physics discoveries.
The method adopted in this research, incorporating conjectures about future developments, could be instrumental in extending similar techniques to other complex multi-scale amplitudes beyond one-loop computations. Although this particular research doesn't bridge into new physics scenarios, its implications are substantial in potentially distinguishing standard model effects from those suggested by competing beyond standard model theories.
This work stands as a thorough numerical analysis and verification of Higgs boson pair production under the full mass consideration of top quarks at NLO, setting a benchmark in precision for future theoretical and experimental investigations in particle physics. The outcomes of this paper are indispensable as the precision frontier continues to push forward in forthcoming collider experiments.