NLO QCD corrections to pp -> t anti-t b anti-b + X at the LHC

TL;DR

This paper presents a detailed calculation of next-to-leading order QCD corrections to top-antitop bottom-antibottom production at the LHC, crucial for accurate background estimation in Higgs boson studies.

Contribution

It provides the first full NLO QCD correction calculation for pp -> ttbb at the LHC, improving theoretical precision and understanding of this background process.

Findings

NLO corrections reduce scale dependence significantly.

Predicted cross section is enhanced by a K-factor of about 1.8.

Results improve background modeling for Higgs searches.

Abstract

We report on the calculation of the full next-to-leading order QCD corrections to the production of top anti-top bottom anti-bottom (ttbb) final states at the LHC, which deliver a serious background contribution to the production of a Higgs boson (decaying into a bottom anti-bottom pair) in association with a top anti-top pair. While the corrections significantly reduce the unphysical scale dependence of the leading-order cross section, our results predict an enhancement of the ttbb production cross section by a K-factor of about 1.8.