Next-to-leading order QCD corrections to Higgs production at a future lepton-proton collider

TL;DR

This paper calculates the full next-to-leading order QCD corrections for Higgs production in electron-proton collisions, providing precise theoretical predictions crucial for future collider experiments.

Contribution

It presents a comprehensive NLO QCD correction calculation for Higgs production processes at a future lepton-proton collider, including a flexible Monte Carlo implementation.

Findings

QCD corrections are very small for total cross sections.

Distribution shapes can be distorted by up to 20%.

Residual scale uncertainties are at the permille level.

Abstract

Crucial information on the coupling of the Higgs boson to bottom quarks is expected from Higgs production in association with a forward tagging jet at a future high-energy lepton-proton collider. In order to control the theoretical uncertainties of the signal process, the impact of radiative corrections has to be quantified. We present the full next-to-leading order QCD corrections to e- p -> e- j H and e- p -> nu_e j H in the form of a flexible Monte-Carlo program allowing for the calculation of cross sections and kinematic distributions within experimentally feasible selection cuts. QCD corrections are found to be very small for cross sections, while the shape distortion of distributions can be as large as 20%. Residual scale uncertainties at next-to-leading order are at the permille level.