Speaker
Juan Rojo Chacon
(CERN)
Description
We derive NNLO+NNLL theoretical predictions for top quark pair production based on all the available NNLO PDF sets, and compare them with the most precise LHC and Tevatron data. In this comparison we study in detail the PDF uncertainty and the scale, $m_t$ and $\alpha_s$ dependence of the theoretical predictions for each PDF set. Next, we exploit the observation that top quark pair production provides a powerful direct constraint on the gluon PDF at large $x$ to include top pair data consistently into a global NNLO PDF fit. We then explore the phenomenological consequences
of the reduced gluon PDF uncertainties by showing how it can improve searches for Beyond the Standard Model physics at the LHC. Finally, we update to full NNLO+NNLL theoretical predictions for the ratio of top quark cross sections between different LHC center of mass energies as well as the cross sections for heavy top-like fermion production at the LHC.
Author
Juan Rojo Chacon
(CERN)
