NLO QCD corrections to pp -> top anti-top + jet + X

TL;DR

This paper calculates next-to-leading order QCD corrections for top-antitop pair production with an additional jet at Tevatron and LHC, improving the accuracy of cross section predictions and analyzing charge asymmetry effects.

Contribution

It provides the first NLO QCD correction calculations for top-antitop plus jet production, including detailed numerical results and asymmetry analysis.

Findings

NLO corrections stabilize the cross section prediction.

Large corrections significantly affect the charge asymmetry.

Dependence on jet transverse momentum cuts is thoroughly studied.

Abstract

We discuss the production of top--anti-top quark pairs in association with a hard jet at the Tevatron and at the LHC and we report on the calculation of the next-to-leading order QCD corrections to this process. Numerical results for the top--anti-top+jet cross section and the forward--backward charge asymmetry are presented. The corrections stabilize the leading-order prediction for the cross section. In contrast, the charge asymmetry receives large corrections. The dependence of the cross section as well as the asymmetry on the minimum transverse momenta used to define the additional jet is studied in detail for the Tevatron.