Resummation of non-global logarithms in cross sections with massive particles

TL;DR

This paper develops a formalism to resum non-global logarithms in processes involving massive particles like the top quark, improving theoretical predictions for top pair production with jet vetoes.

Contribution

It extends existing resummation techniques to massive particles within an effective field theory framework, incorporating mass effects into non-global logarithm resummation.

Findings

Resummation improves agreement with ATLAS data at 7 TeV.

Implemented non-global logarithm evolution in a parton shower code.

Compared radiation patterns of massive and massless particles.

Abstract

A factorization formalism for jet processes involving massive colored particles such as the top quark is developed, extending earlier results for the massless case. The factorization of soft emissions from the underlying hard process is implemented in an effective field theory framework, which forms the basis for the resummation of large logarithms. The renormalization group evolution giving rise to non-global logarithms is implemented into a parton shower code in the large-$N_c$ limit. After a comparison of the massive and massless radiations patterns, the cross section for $t\bar{t}$ production with a veto on additional central jet activity is computed, taking into account radiation both from the production and the decay of the top quarks. The resummation of the leading logarithms leads to an improved description of ATLAS measurements at $\sqrt{s}=7\,{\rm TeV}$.