Exact non-factorisable virtual corrections for vector-boson-fusion Higgs production

Determine the exact non-factorisable virtual QCD contributions to vector-boson-fusion Higgs-boson production at the order required for definitive NNLO studies beyond the traditional fiducial VBF region.

Background

The paper explains that standard NNLO QCD predictions for vector-boson-fusion Higgs production rely on approximations that are well suited to the traditional fiducial VBF region. When fiducial cuts are relaxed and broader kinematic regions are considered, the validity of those predictions and the separation of VBF from Higgs-Strahlung become uncertain. Exact non-factorisable virtual contributions are therefore needed to establish reliable predictions in these regions. The one-loop amplitudes derived in the paper constitute a first step toward the eventual computation of these exact higher-order contributions, but do not themselves resolve the problem.

References

Outside the traditional fiducial volume, the validity of current NNLO QCD predictions and separation from VH is uncertain, and the currently unknown exact non-factorisable virtual contributions prevent a definitive study.

— One-loop QCD amplitudes for vector-boson-fusion Higgs-boson production to higher orders in $ε$  (2609.37919 - Asteriadis et al., 29 Sep 2026) in Section 1, Introduction