Cross Section for b Jet Production in pbar-p Collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV

TL;DR

This paper measures the production rate of b jets in proton-antiproton collisions at 1.8 TeV, comparing experimental data with QCD predictions, and finds results slightly higher but consistent within uncertainties.

Contribution

First measurement of b jet production cross section at Tevatron energies using muon-tagged jets and comparison with QCD models.

Findings

Measured b jet cross section as a function of transverse energy

Results are higher than but compatible with NLO QCD predictions

Provides data for testing QCD in high-energy hadron collisions

Abstract

Bottom quark production in pbar-p collisions at sqrt(s)=1.8 TeV is studied with 5 inverse picobarns of data collected in 1995 by the DO detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The differential production cross section for b jets in the central rapidity region (|y(b)| < 1) as a function of jet transverse energy is extracted from a muon-tagged jet sample. Within experimental and theoretical uncertainties, DO results are found to be higher than, but compatible with, next-to-leading-order QCD predictions.