Comprehensive theory and simulation of toponium production

Develop a comprehensive theoretical framework and corresponding Monte Carlo simulation for toponium (top quark–antiquark bound state) production in proton–proton collisions that describes the full bound-state spectrum, including color-singlet and color-octet contributions and any interference effects, to enable reliable modeling in the top–antitop production threshold region.

Background

The analysis focuses on the top–antitop production threshold region, where non-perturbative bound-state effects (toponium) are predicted to enhance entanglement. While a color-singlet pseudoscalar state is modeled, color-octet contributions and their associated soft-gluon dynamics complicate calculations. The authors explicitly note the absence of a comprehensive theory and simulation covering the full bound-state spectrum, which limits modeling fidelity in the threshold region.

Because of this gap, the paper incorporates only the color-singlet contribution and assigns sizable systematic uncertainties to account for missing components. A complete theoretical and computational description would improve predictions of differential observables and reduce reliance on ad hoc uncertainties.