Next-to-Leading Order QCD Predictions for Z,gamma^*+3-Jet Distributions at the Tevatron

TL;DR

This paper presents next-to-leading order QCD predictions for Z/gamma*+3-jet production at the Tevatron, showing good agreement with experimental data and analyzing jet-production ratios with a simple model.

Contribution

It introduces NLO QCD calculations for Z/gamma*+3-jet processes at the Tevatron using BlackHat and SHERPA, providing detailed predictions and insights into jet ratios.

Findings

Good agreement with CDF and D0 measurements for jet p_T distributions.

Jet-production ratios vary with vector-boson p_T and are explained by a simple model.

The model captures leading logarithms and phase-space effects.

Abstract

Using BlackHat in conjunction with SHERPA, we have computed next-to-leading order QCD predictions for a variety of distributions in Z,gamma*+1,2,3-jet production at the Tevatron, where the Z boson or off-shell photon decays into an electron-positron pair. We find good agreement between the NLO results for jet p_T distributions and measurements by CDF and D0. We also present jet-production ratios, or probabilities of finding one additional jet. As a function of vector-boson p_T, the ratios have distinctive features which we describe in terms of a simple model capturing leading logarithms and phase-space and parton-distribution-function suppression.