NNLO QCD predictions for W+c-jet production at the LHC

TL;DR

This paper presents the first complete NNLO QCD calculations for W boson production with a charm jet at the LHC, improving theoretical precision and aiding in proton structure studies.

Contribution

It provides the first NNLO QCD predictions for W+c-jet production, including differential distributions and comparison with experimental data.

Findings

NNLO corrections significantly improve prediction accuracy.

Predictions agree well with ATLAS measurements.

Results help refine strange-quark content in the proton.

Abstract

We study the production of a W boson in association with a c-jet at the LHC. We calculate, for the first time, the complete set of NNLO QCD corrections to the dominant CKM-diagonal contribution to this process. Both signatures, ${\rm p}{\rm p}\to \mu^+\nu_\mu{\rm j}_{\rm c}$ and ${\rm p}{\rm p}\to \mu^-\bar\nu_\mu{\rm j}_{\rm c}$ are considered. We present predictions for fiducial cross sections and differential distributions for each one of the two signatures as well as for their ratio. The theoretical predictions are compared with ATLAS measurements at $7 \; {\rm TeV}$. The results of this work are essential for the precision description of associated heavy flavor production at hadron colliders and for the determination of the strange-quark content of the proton from LHC data in NNLO QCD.