Precise Charm- and Bottom-Quark Masses: Theoretical and Experimental Uncertainties

TL;DR

This paper presents the most precise determinations of charm and bottom quark masses, analyzing theoretical and experimental uncertainties, including gluon condensate contributions and continuum cross section uncertainties.

Contribution

It provides an improved evaluation of quark masses with detailed uncertainty analysis, combining theoretical calculations and experimental data for the first time.

Findings

Charm quark mass: 986(13) MeV at 3 GeV

Bottom quark mass: 4163(16) MeV at m_b

Uncertainty analysis highlights dominant error sources

Abstract

Recent theoretical and experimental improvements in the determination of charm and bottom quark masses are discussed. A new and improved evaluation of the contribution from the gluon condensate $< \frac{\alpha_s}{\pi} G^2>$ to the charm mass determination and a detailed study of potential uncertainties in the continuum cross section for $b\bar b$ production is presented, together with a study of the parametric uncertainty from the $\alpha_s$-dependence of our results. The final results, $m_c(3 \text{GeV})=986(13) $MeV and $m_b(m_b)=4163(16) $MeV, represent, together with a closely related lattice determination $m_c(3\;{\rm GeV})=986(6) $MeV, the presently most precise determinations of these two fundamental Standard Model parameters. A critical analysis of the theoretical and experimental uncertainties is presented.