Next-to-Next-to-Leading Order Study of Three-Jet Production at the LHC

Area of Science:

• High-energy particle physics
• Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD)
• Perturbative QCD

Background:

• Multijet rates at hadron colliders are crucial for testing Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD).
• Current theoretical predictions often lack the precision required for detailed comparisons with experimental data.
• Extracting fundamental parameters and searching for new physics depend on accurate theoretical calculations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compute the next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) QCD corrections to three-jet observables for the first time.
• To calculate NNLO QCD corrections to differential three-to-two jet ratios.
• To demonstrate the impact of these corrections on theoretical predictions and their scale dependence.

Main Methods:

• Calculation of NNLO QCD corrections to multijet observables.
• Inclusion of leading-color approximation for three-jet double virtual contributions.
• Analysis of scale dependence for key observables.

Main Results:

• The first complete NNLO QCD corrections to typical three-jet observables have been calculated.
• Differential three-to-two jet ratios have been computed at NNLO.
• Inclusion of NNLO corrections significantly reduces the dependence of observables on factorization and renormalization scales.

Conclusions:

• This work represents a significant advancement in perturbative QCD calculations.
• The reduced scale dependence enhances the predictive power of QCD theory for collider experiments.
• The methodology provides a foundation for future precision studies in high-energy physics.