NLO QCD corrections to ZZ+jet production at hadron colliders

TL;DR

This paper presents a detailed calculation of next-to-leading order QCD corrections for ZZ+jet production at hadron colliders, crucial for accurate background modeling in Higgs and new physics searches.

Contribution

It provides the first fully differential NLO QCD corrections for ZZ+jet production at Tevatron and LHC, highlighting significant effects on cross sections and distributions.

Findings

NLO corrections are sizable, especially at the LHC.

Residual scale uncertainties are around 10%.

Applying a veto on a second jet reduces uncertainties.

Abstract

A fully differential calculation of the next-to-leading order QCD corrections to the production of Z-boson pairs in association with a hard jet at the Tevatron and LHC is presented. This process is an important background for Higgs particle and new physics searches at hadron colliders. We find sizable corrections for cross sections and differential distributions, particularly at the LHC. Residual scale uncertainties are typically at the 10% level and can be further reduced by applying a veto against the emission of a second hard jet. Our results confirm that NLO corrections do not simply rescale LO predictions.