Next-to-next-to-leading order event generation for VH production with H → b b ¯ $$ b\overline{b} $$ decay

Abstract

Abstract We consider the Higgsstrahlung process in hadronic collisions and present the computation of next-to-next-to-leading order predictions matched to parton showers for both production and H → b b ¯ $$ b\overline{b} $$ decay employing the MiNNLOPS method. We present predictions for ZH and W ± H production including spin correlations and off-shell effects by calculating the full processes pp → ℓ + ℓ − H → ℓ + ℓ − b b ¯ $$ b\overline{b} $$ , pp → ν ℓ ν ¯ ℓ H $$ {\nu}_{\ell }{\overline{\nu}}_{\ell }H $$ → ν ℓ ν ¯ ℓ b b ¯ $$ {\nu}_{\ell }{\overline{\nu}}_{\ell }b\overline{b} $$ and pp → ℓ ± ν ℓ H → ℓ ± ν ¯ ℓ b b ¯ $$ {\ell}^{\pm }{\overline{\nu}}_{\ell }b\overline{b} $$ in the narrow-width approximation for the Higgs boson. For the W ± H process, NNLO+PS accuracy in production and decay is achieved for the first time. Our calculations are validated against earlier simulations in the NNLOPS approach that includes NNLO corrections via multi-differential reweighting. The new MiNNLOPS generators for these processes, which evaluate NNLO corrections on-the-fly in the event generation, will supersede those earlier calculations. Our predictions are in good agreement with recent measurements of the Higgsstrahlung cross sections.

Keywords

• Higgs Production
• Higher-Order Perturbative Calculations
• Parton Shower
• Resummation