Heavy-quark jets in hadronic collisions

TL;DR

The paper provides a first-principles NLO QCD calculation of jets containing heavy quarks using the Snowmass jet algorithm, enabling meaningful comparisons with generic jets. It develops a factorized framework, clarifies how heavy-quark mass regulates divergences, and isolates a finite jet-merging contribution at NLO. Applying the formalism to Tevatron kinematics, the authors quantify the E_T spectra, jet composition, and scale/cone-size dependencies for b- and c-jets, and reveal a high-E_T regime where light-quark annihilation dominates heavy-quark jet production. The results yield robust predictions for heavy-flavor tagging and new-physics searches, with certain observables (like heavy-quark jet ratios) showing reduced sensitivity to theoretical scales.

Abstract

We present a next-to-leading order QCD calculation of the production rates of jets containing heavy quarks. This calculation is performed using the standard Snowmass jet algorithm; it therefore allows a comparison with similar results known at next-to-leading order for generic jets. As an application, we present results for the inclusive transverse energy of charm and bottom jets at the Tevatron collider, with a complete study of the dependence on the jet cone-size and of the theoretical uncertainties.

Figures (12)

• Figure 1: $b$-jet inclusive $E_{ T}$ distribution in $p\bar{p}$ collisions at 1.8 TeV, for $|\eta|<1$, $R=0.7$ and $\hbox{$\mu_{\rm {F}}$}=\hbox{$\mu_{\rm {R}}$}=\hbox{$\mu_0$}$ (solid line). For comparison, we also show the open-quark inclusive $E_{ T}$ distribution (dashed line). The component of the jet-like contribution due to jets containing both $b$ and $\bar{b}$ is represented by the dotted line.
• Figure 2: $c$-jet inclusive $E_{ T}$ distribution in $p\bar{p}$ collisions at 1.8 TeV, for $|\eta|<1$, $R=0.7$ and $\hbox{$\mu_{\rm {F}}$}=\hbox{$\mu_{\rm {R}}$}=\hbox{$\mu_0$}$ (solid line). For comparison, we also show the open-quark inclusive $E_{ T}$ distribution (dashed line). The component of the jet-like contribution due to jets containing both $c$ and $\bar{c}$ is represented by the dotted line.
• Figure 3: Left: relative contribution of the jet-like component in the $b$-jet inclusive $E_{ T}$ distribution, for different values of the renormalization and factorization scales ($\hbox{$\mu_{\rm {R}}$}=\hbox{$\mu_{\rm {F}}$}=\mu$). Right: relative contribution of the jet-like component in the $b$-jet inclusive $E_{ T}$ distribution, for various cone sizes $R$.
• Figure 4: $b$-jet inclusive $E_{ T}$ rate, as a function of the cone size $R$, for $E_{ T}$ = 50 GeV (left) and $E_{ T}$ = 100 GeV (right).
• Figure 5: Left: relative contribution of the jet-like component in the $c$-jet inclusive $E_{ T}$ distribution, for different values of the renormalization and factorization scales ($\hbox{$\mu_{\rm {R}}$}=\hbox{$\mu_{\rm {F}}$}=\mu$). Right: relative contribution of the jet-like component in the $c$-jet inclusive $E_{ T}$ distribution, for various cones sizes $R$.