$\alpha_s$ as an input parameter in the SMEFT

TL;DR

This paper explores the role of the strong coupling constant, alpha_s, as an input parameter in SMEFT, affecting predictions and measurements in hadron collider studies of the Standard Model.

Contribution

It initiates the analysis of alpha_s as an input parameter in SMEFT, focusing on how it influences observable relationships and measurement patterns.

Findings

Highlights the importance of alpha_s in SMEFT measurements

Demonstrates how input parameter corrections modify observable predictions

Provides a framework for characterizing alpha_s as an input parameter

Abstract

The QCD coupling, $\alpha_s$, has a critical role in Hadron collider studies of the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT). Patterns of measurements can be modified by local contact operators in the SMEFT that change the measured value of a Lagrangian parameter from the case of the Standard Model; this is known as an input parameter correction. When such a parameter is then used to predict another observable, this modifies the relationship between observables. In this paper, we begin the process of characterizing $\alpha_s$ as an input parameter.