Measurements of differential $t\bar{t}$ production cross sections at CMS

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent CMS measurements of differential top quark pair production cross sections at various energies, highlighting a consistent softer top quark transverse momentum than predicted, with improved agreement from advanced theoretical calculations.

Contribution

It provides comprehensive differential cross section measurements at particle level, reducing dependence on theoretical extrapolations and comparing results with state-of-the-art calculations.

Findings

Top quark transverse momentum is softer than predictions.

NNLO QCD and NLO electroweak calculations improve agreement.

Measurements cover multiple decay channels and energies.

Abstract

An overview of recent measurements of differential top quark pair production cross sections performed by the CMS experiment at the LHC is presented. Measurements at different proton-proton center-of-mass energies are available using the dilepton, lepton+jets, and all-jets decay channels of the top quark. In addition to the measurements of parton-level top quarks, many measurements at particle level in an experimental accessible phase space are now available. For these results the dependence on theoretical extrapolations is reduced. A common observation of all measurements is a softer transverse momentum of the top quark than predicted by state of the art standard model calculations. However, new calculations with NNLO QCD and NLO electro-weak precision show an improved agreement.