Precise predictions for top quark plus missing energy signatures at the LHC

TL;DR

This paper presents the first next-to-leading order QCD calculations for scalar top-quark pair production decaying to top quarks plus missing energy at the LHC, revealing significant corrections that affect experimental searches.

Contribution

It provides a novel NLO QCD analysis of top squark pair production and decay, improving the accuracy of theoretical predictions for LHC signatures.

Findings

Large, kinematic-dependent QCD corrections identified

Corrections significantly impact experimental search strategies

Enhanced understanding of top squark decay signatures

Abstract

We study the pair production of scalar top-quark partners decaying to a top-quark pair plus large missing energy at the LHC, a signature which appears in numerous models that address outstanding problems at the TeV-scale. The severe experimental search cuts require a description which combines higher-order corrections to both production and decay dynamics for a realistic final state. We do this at next-to-leading order in QCD for the first time. We find large, kinematic-dependent QCD corrections that differ dramatically depending upon the observable under consideration, potentially impacting the search for and interpretation of these states.