Characteristics and Estimates of Double Parton Scattering at the Large Hadron Collider

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the kinematic features of double parton scattering at the LHC, proposing methods to distinguish it from single scattering and estimating its contribution to specific final states.

Contribution

It introduces a methodology to experimentally differentiate double from single parton scattering using specific kinematic variables and provides estimates of their relative contributions.

Findings

Double parton scattering has distinct event topologies.

Certain variables effectively separate double from single scattering.

Double scattering may dominate at moderate transverse momenta.

Abstract

We evaluate the kinematic distributions in phase space of 4-parton final-state subprocesses produced by double parton scattering, and we contrast these with the final-state distributions that originate from conventional single parton scattering. Our goal is to establish the distinct topologies of events that arise from these two sources and to provide a methodology for experimental determination of the relative magnitude of the double parton and single parton contributions at Large Hadron Collider energies. We examine two cases in detail, the $b \bar{b} \rm{jet jet}$ and the 4 jet final states. After full parton-level simulations, we identify a few variables that separate the two contributions remarkably well, and we suggest their use experimentally for an empirical measurement of the relative cross section. We show that the double parton contribution falls off significantly more rapidly with the transverse momentum of the leading jet, but, up to issues of the relative normalization, may be dominant at modest values of this transverse momentum.