NLO predictions for t-channel production of single top and fourth generation quarks at hadron colliders

TL;DR

This paper provides updated next-to-leading order (NLO) predictions for electroweak t-channel production of heavy quarks, including single top and fourth generation quarks, at the Tevatron and LHC, with detailed uncertainty analysis.

Contribution

It introduces the first NLO predictions for tb' and t'b' production cross sections and analyzes various theoretical uncertainties affecting these predictions.

Findings

NLO cross sections for single top and fourth generation quarks are calculated.

Theoretical uncertainties from PDFs, scales, and quark masses are thoroughly studied.

Predictions are provided for both Tevatron and LHC energies.

Abstract

We present updated NLO predictions for the electroweak t-channel production of heavy quarks at the Tevatron and at the LHC. We consider production of single top and fourth generation t' starting from both 2 to 2 and 2 to 3 Born processes. Predictions for tb' and t'b' cross sections at NLO are also given for the first time. A thorough study of the theoretical uncertainties coming from parton distribution functions, renormalisation and factorisation scale dependence and heavy quark masses is performed.