Next-to-leading order QCD corrections to pp --> b b_bar b b_bar + X at the LHC: the quark induced case

TL;DR

This paper calculates next-to-leading order QCD corrections for quark-induced four b-quark production at the LHC, significantly improving prediction accuracy for background processes in Higgs and new physics searches.

Contribution

It provides the first NLO QCD corrections for the quark-induced subprocess using the GOLEM approach, enhancing the reliability of four b-quark observable predictions.

Findings

NLO corrections significantly improve prediction accuracy.

Inclusion of NLO effects is essential for reliable background estimates.

Results demonstrate the importance of higher-order QCD calculations.

Abstract

The production of two b-quark pairs is a prominent background for Higgs and New Physics searches in various extensions of the Standard Model. We present here the next-to-leading order QCD corrections to the quark induced subprocess using the GOLEM approach for the virtual corrections. We show that our result considerably improves the prediction and conclude that the inclusion of next-to-leading order effects is indispensable for reliable studies of four b-quark observables in hadronic collisions.