An Effective Field Theory for Non-Global Observables at Hadron Colliders

In light of intriguing hints for the existence of heavy new particles from low-energy measurements of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon and rare leptonic decays of B mesons, which strategy should one take to fully exploit the discovery potential of the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the most powerful high-energy particle collider on Earth? Signals of new physics might be hiding in the LHC data, but we are limited in our ability to discover them due to present theoretical uncertainties. Jet processes at the LHC are the most interesting observables probing the underlying short-distance dynamics. New and powerful methods are required to obtain full control over the subtle quantum corrections affecting these processes, both in the Standard Model and in extensions featuring new particles. In the EFT4jets proposal, I focus on two of the most daunting challenges faced in theoretical collider physics: a rigorous field-theoretic understanding of the parametrically leading contributions to jet rates from so-called super-leading and non-global logarithms, and a quantitative understanding of the phenomenon of factorization violation, which threatens to jeopardize theoretical calculations of jet processes. EFT4jets aims at the development of a complete theory of non-global observables at hadron colliders, which are insensitive to radiation in certain regions of phase space. This will for the first time provide a rigorous theoretical control over all logarithmically enhanced corrections to jet cross sections, give a generalized notion of factorization and enable more accurate calculations than ever before, thus boosting the LHC discovery potential for new phenomena. Detailed predictions will be obtained for important benchmark processes, including the production of Higgs, W or Z bosons in association with jets, the di-jet production process pp→2 jets, and the mono-jet production process pp→ jet + missing E_T, which is a key signature in the search for dark matter.