Hung Liang Lai

New Generation of Parton Distributions with Uncertainties from Global QCD Analysis

A new generation of parton distribution functions with increased precision and quantitative estimates of uncertainties is presented. This work signiflcantly extends previous CTEQ and other global analyses on two fronts: (i) a full treatment of available experimental correlated systematic errorsforbothnewandolddata sets; (ii) asystematic and pragmatic treatment of uncertainties of the parton distributions and their physical predictions, using a recently developed eigenvector-basis approach to the hessian method. The new gluon distribution is considerably harder than that of previous standard flts. A numberofphysicsissues,particularlyrelatingtothebehaviorofthegluondistribution,are addressedinmorequantitativetermsthanbefore. Extensiveresultsontheuncertaintiesof parton distributions at various scales, and on parton luminosity functions at the Tevatron RunII and the LHC, are presented. The latter provide the means to quickly estimate the uncertainties of a wide range of physical processes at these high-energy hadron colliders, basedoncurrentknowledgeofthepartondistributions. Inparticular, theuncertaintieson the production cross sections of the W, Z at the Tevatron and the LHC are estimated to be§4% and§5%, respectively, and that of a light Higgs at the LHC to be§5%.

New parton distributions for collider physics

We extract new parton distribution functions (PDFs) of the proton by global analysis of hard scattering data in the general-mass framework of perturbative quantum chromodynamics. Our analysis includes new theoretical developments together with the most recent collider data from deep-inelastic scattering, vector boson production, and single-inclusive jet production. Because of the difficulty in fitting both the D0 Run-II W lepton asymmetry data and some fixed-target DIS data, we present two families of PDFs, CT10 and CT10W, without and with these high-luminosity W lepton asymmetry data included in the global analysis. With both sets of PDFs, we study theoretical predictions and uncertainties for a diverse selection of processes at the Fermilab Tevatron and the CERN Large Hadron Collider.

Implications of CTEQ global analysis for collider observables

The latest CTEQ6.6 parton distributions, obtained by global analysis of hard-scattering data in the framework of general-mass perturbative QCD, are employed to study theoretical predictions and their uncertainties for significant processes at the Fermilab Tevatron and CERN Large Hadron Collider. The previously observed increase in predicted cross sections for the standard-candle W and Z boson production processes in the general-mass scheme (compared to those in the zero-mass scheme) is further investigated and quantified. A novel method to constrain parton distribution function (PDF) uncertainties in LHC observables, by effectively exploiting PDF-induced correlations with benchmark standard model cross sections, is presented. Using this method, we show that the tt cross section can potentially serve as a standard-candle observable for the LHC processes dominated by initial-state gluon scattering. Among other benefits, precise measurements of tt cross sections would reduce PDF uncertainties in predictions for single top-quark and Higgs boson production in the standard model and minimal supersymmetric standard model.

Improved parton distributions from global analysis of recent deep inelastic scattering and inclusive jet data

The impact of recent precision measurements of DIS structure functions and inclusive jet production at the Fermilab Tevatron on the global QCD analysis of parton distribution functions is studied in detail. Particular emphasis is placed on exploring the range of variation of the gluon distribution G(x,Q) allowed by these new data. The strong coupling of G(x,Q) with {alpha}{sub s} is fully taken into account. A new generation of CTEQ parton distributions, CTEQ4, is presented. It consists of the three standard sets [modified minimal subtraction ({ovr MS}), deep inelastic scattering (DIS), and leading order (LO)], a series that gives a range of parton distributions with corresponding {alpha}{sub s}`s, and a set with a low starting value of Q. Previously obtained gluon distributions that are consistent with the high E{sub t} jet cross section are also discussed in the context of this new global analysis. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

Inclusive Jet Production, Parton Distributions, and the Search for New Physics

Jet production at the Tevatron probes some of the smallest distance scales currently accessible. A gluon distribution that is enhanced at large x compared to previous determinations provides a better description of the Run 1b jet data from both CDF and D?. However, considerable uncertainty still remains regarding the gluon distribution at high x. In this paper, we examine the effects of this uncertainty, and of the remaining uncertainties in the NLO QCD theory, on jet cross section comparisons to Run 1b data. We also calculate the range of contributions still possible from any new physics. Predictions are also made for the expanded kinematic range expected for the ongoing Run 2 at the Tevatron and for the LHC.

CT10 next-to-next-to-leading order global analysis of QCD

Jun Gao, Marco Guzzi, Joey Huston, Hung-Liang Lai, Zhao Li, Pavel Nadolsky, Jon Pumplin, Daniel Stump, and C.–P. Yuan 6 1 Department of Physics, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275-0181, USA 2 Deutsches Elektronensynchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85 D-22607 Hamburg, Germany 3 Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1116, USA 4 Taipei Municipal University of Education, Taipei, Taiwan 5 Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China 6 Center for High Energy Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China Abstract We present next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) parton distribution functions (PDFs) from the CTEQ-TEA group. The CT10NNLO PDF fit is based on essentially the same global data sets used in the CT10 and CT10W NLO PDF analyses. After exploring the goodness of the fits to the HERA combined data and the Tevatron jet data, we present various predictions at NNLO accuracy for both existing and forthcoming precision measurements from the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The range of variations in the gluon distribution introduced by correlated systematic effects in inclusive jet production is also examined.

Global QCD analysis and the CTEQ parton distributions

The CTEQ program for the determination of parton distributions through a global QCD analysis of data for various hard scattering processes is fully described. A new set of distributions, CTEQ3, incorporating several new types of data is reported and compared to the two previous sets of CTEQ distributions. A comparison with current data is discussed in some detail. The remaining uncertainties in the parton distributions and methods to further reduce them are assessed. Comparisons with the results of other global analyses are also presented.

Uncertainties of predictions from parton distribution functions. II. The Hessian method

We develop a general method to quantify the uncertainties of parton distribution functions and their physical predictions, with emphasis on incorporating all relevant experimental constraints. The method uses the Hessian formalism to study an effective chi-squared function that quantifies the fit between theory and experiment. Key ingredients are a recently developed iterative procedure to calculate the Hessian matrix in the difficult global analysis environment, and the use of parameters defined as components along appropriately normalized eigenvectors. The result is a set of 2D eigenvector basis parton distributions (where

Uncertainty induced by QCD coupling in the CTEQ global analysis of parton distributions

d\ensuremath{\approx}16

Charm parton content of the nucleon

is the number of parton parameters) from which the uncertainty on any physical quantity due to the uncertainty in parton distributions can be calculated. We illustrate the method by applying it to calculate uncertainties of gluon and quark distribution functions, W boson rapidity distributions, and the correlation between W and Z production cross sections.