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Main Authors: Lim, Matthew A., Poncelet, Rene
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.14910
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author Lim, Matthew A.
Poncelet, Rene
author_facet Lim, Matthew A.
Poncelet, Rene
contents Calculations truncated at a fixed order in perturbation theory are accompanied by an associated theoretical uncertainty, which encodes the missing higher orders (MHOU). This is typically estimated by a scale variation procedure, which has well-known shortcomings. In this work, we propose a simple prescription to directly encode the missing higher order terms using theory nuisance parameters (TNPs) and estimate the uncertainty by their variation. We study multiple processes relevant for Large Hadron Collider physics at next-to-leading and next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbation theory, obtaining MHOU estimates for differential observables in each case. In cases where scale variations are well-behaved we are able to replicate their effects using TNPs, while we find significant improvement in cases where scale variation typically underestimates the uncertainty.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2412_14910
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Robust estimates of theoretical uncertainties at fixed-order in perturbation theory
Lim, Matthew A.
Poncelet, Rene
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Calculations truncated at a fixed order in perturbation theory are accompanied by an associated theoretical uncertainty, which encodes the missing higher orders (MHOU). This is typically estimated by a scale variation procedure, which has well-known shortcomings. In this work, we propose a simple prescription to directly encode the missing higher order terms using theory nuisance parameters (TNPs) and estimate the uncertainty by their variation. We study multiple processes relevant for Large Hadron Collider physics at next-to-leading and next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbation theory, obtaining MHOU estimates for differential observables in each case. In cases where scale variations are well-behaved we are able to replicate their effects using TNPs, while we find significant improvement in cases where scale variation typically underestimates the uncertainty.
title Robust estimates of theoretical uncertainties at fixed-order in perturbation theory
topic High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.14910