HATHOR for single top-quark production: Updated predictions and uncertainty estimates for single top-quark production in hadronic collisions

TL;DR

This paper provides updated theoretical predictions for single top-quark production in hadronic collisions using NLO QCD calculations, compares different PDFs, estimates uncertainties, and extends the HATHOR program for broader use.

Contribution

The paper introduces an extended version of the HATHOR program for single top-quark production, incorporating recent measurements, uncertainty estimates, and preparations for NNLO accuracy.

Findings

Predictions align with recent Tevatron and LHC measurements.

Uncertainty estimates include PDF variations and scale dependence.

The extended HATHOR program enables fast cross section evaluations.

Abstract

We present updated predictions for single top-quark production in hadronic collisions. The analysis is based on next-to-leading order QCD calculations. The input parameters are fixed to recent measurements. We compare different PDF sets and investigate the related uncertainties. The impact of uncalculated higher orders is estimated using an independent variation of the renormalisation and factorisation scale. The theoretical predictions are compared with recent measurements from Tevatron and LHC. Furthermore, the cross section measurements are used to estimate the top-quark mass. To perform the analysis we extended the publicly available HatHor program to single top-quark production. We thus provide a unified framework for the fast numerical evaluation of total cross sections for top-quark production, which may be used for example in Standard Model fits. For future extensions towards NNLO accuracy, we include already all scale dependent terms at NNLO. We briefly describe how to use the program and provide all required tools to repeat the aforementioned analysis.