# Top-quark pair hadroproduction at next-to-next-to-leading order in QCD

## TL;DR

This paper presents the first complete NNLO QCD calculation for top-quark pair production at hadron colliders, improving theoretical precision and providing results for different collider energies.

## Contribution

It introduces a novel application of the $q_T$ subtraction formalism to NNLO calculations for a high-mass, colored system, specifically top-quark pairs.

## Key findings

- Numerical results for total cross sections at 8 TeV and 13 TeV.
- Comparison with the Top++ program shows consistency.
- First application of $q_T$ subtraction to colored high-mass system at NNLO.

## Abstract

We report on a new calculation of the next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) QCD radiative corrections to the inclusive production of top-quark pairs at hadron colliders. The calculation is performed by using the $q_T$ subtraction formalism to handle and cancel infrared singular contributions at intermediate stages of the computation. We present numerical results for the total cross section in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV and $13$ TeV, and we compare them with those obtained by using the publicly available numerical program Top++. Our computation represents the first complete application of the $q_T$ subtraction formalism to the hadroproduction of a colourful high-mass system at NNLO.