Abstract: We present a study within the k(T)-factorisation scheme on single bottom quark production at the LHC. In particular, we calculate the rapidity and transverse momentum differential distributions for single bottom quark/anti-quark production. In our setup, the unintegrated gluon density is obtained from the NLx BFKL Green function whereas we included mass effects to the Lx heavy quark jet vertex. We compare our results to the corresponding distributions predicted by the usual collinear factorisation scheme. The latter were produced with Pythia 8.1.

Abstract: We consider the singular behaviour of QCD scattering amplitudes in kinematical configurations where two or more momenta of the external partons become collinear. At the tree level, this behaviour is known to be controlled by factorization formulae in which the singular collinear factor is universal (process independent). We show that this strict (process-independent) factorization is not valid at one-loop and higher-loop orders in the case of the collinear limit in space-like regions (e. g., collinear radiation from initial-state partons). We introduce a generalized version of all-order collinear factorization, in which the space-like singular factors retain some dependence on the momentum and colour charge of the non-collinear partons. We present explicit results on one-loop and two-loop amplitudes for both the two-parton and multiparton collinear limits. At the level of squared amplitudes and, more generally, cross sections in hadron-hadron collisions, the violation of strict collinear factorization has implications on the non-abelian structure of logarithmically-enhanced terms in perturbative calculations (starting from the next-to-next-to-leading order) and on various factorization issues of mass singularities (starting from the next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order).

Abstract: The perturbative approach to quantum field theories has made it possible to obtain incredibly accurate theoretical predictions in high-energy physics. Although various techniques have been developed to boost the efficiency of these calculations, some ingredients remain specially challenging. This is the case of multiloop scattering amplitudes that constitute a hard bottleneck to solve. In this paper, we delve into the application of a disruptive technique based on the loop-tree duality theorem, which is aimed at an efficient computation of such objects by opening the loops to nondisjoint trees. We study the multiloop topologies that first appear at four loops and assemble them in a clever and general expression, the (NMLT)-M-4 universal topology. This general expression enables to open any scattering amplitude of up to four loops, and also describes a subset of higher order configurations to all orders. These results confirm the conjecture of a factorized opening in terms of simpler known subtopologies, which also determines how the causal structure of the entire loop amplitude is characterized by the causal structure of its subtopologies. In addition, we confirm that the loop-tree duality representation of the (NMLT)-M-4 universal topology is manifestly free of noncausal thresholds, thus pointing towards a remarkably more stable numerical implementation of multiloop scattering amplitudes.

Abstract: We compute the polarized splitting functions in the triple collinear limit at next-to-leading order accuracy (NLO) in the strong coupling alpha(S), for the splitting processes gamma -> qq gamma, gamma -> qqg and g -> qq gamma. The divergent structure of each splitting function was compared to the predicted behaviour according to Catani's formula. The results obtained in this paper are compatible with the unpolarized splitting functions computed in a previous article. Explicit results for NLO corrections are presented in the context of conventional dimensional regularization (CDR).

Abstract: KLOE and Babar have an observed discrepancy of 2% to 5% in the invariant pion pair production cross section. These measurements are based on approximate NLO mu(+)mu(-)gamma cross section predictions of the Monte Carlo event generator PHOKHARA7.0. In this article, the complete NLO radiative corrections to mu(+)mu(-)gamma production are calculated and implemented in the Monte Carlo event generator PHOKHARA9.0. Numerical reliability is guaranteed by two independent approaches to the real and the virtual corrections. The novel features include the contribution of pentagon diagrams in the virtual corrections, which form a gauge-invariant set when combined with their box diagram partners. They may contribute to certain distributions at the percent level. Also the real emission was complemented with two-photon final state emission contributions not included in the generator PHOKHARA7.0. We demonstrate that the numerical influence reaches, for realistic charge-averaged experimental setups, not more than 0.1% at KLOE and 0.3% at BaBar energies. As a result, we exclude the approximations in earlier versions of PHOKHARA as origin of the observed experimental discrepancy.