Impact of gluon polarization on Higgs plus jet production at the LHC

TL;DR

This paper investigates how gluon polarization influences Higgs plus jet production at the LHC, highlighting the potential of azimuthal angular distributions as probes for gluon polarization effects.

Contribution

It provides the first leading order expressions for Higgs plus jet transverse momentum distributions including gluon polarization effects, using models to estimate their impact.

Findings

The $ ext{cos } 2 heta$ distribution is sensitive to gluon polarization.

Gluon polarization can significantly affect Higgs plus jet angular distributions.

Higgs plus jet process offers advantages over other polarization-sensitive processes.

Abstract

In this paper we consider Higgs plus jet production as a process that is sensitive to the linear polarization of gluons inside the unpolarized protons of the LHC. The leading order expressions for the transverse momentum distribution of the Higgs plus jet pair are provided in terms of transverse momentum dependent quark and gluon distributions. This includes both angular independent and azimuthal angular dependent contributions, presented directly in the laboratory frame. Lacking experimental constraints on the linearly polarized gluon distribution, we study its effects on Higgs plus jet production using two different models to illustrate the generic features and maximal effects. It is found that the $\cos 2 \phi$ distribution may be the most promising observable, as it is driven by only one initial linearly polarized gluon. The potential advantages of the Higgs plus jet process compared to other processes sensitive to the linear polarization of gluons are discussed.