In this contribution we review recent progress with fixed-order QCD predictions for the production of a vector boson in association with jets at hadron colliders, using the programs BlackHat and SHERPA. We review general features of next-to-leading-order (NLO) predictions for the production of a massive vector boson in association with four jets. We also discuss how precise descriptions of vector-boson production can be applied to the determination of backgrounds to new physics signals. Here we focus on data-driven backgrounds to a missing-energy-plus-jets search performed by CMS. Finally, we review recent progress in developing theoretical tools for high-multiplicity loop-computation within the BlackHat-library. In particular, we discuss methods for handling the color degrees of freedom in multi-jet predictions at NLO.
@article{arxiv.1210.6684,
title = {High multiplicity processes at NLO with BlackHat and Sherpa},
author = {Zvi Bern and Kemal Ozeren and Lance J. Dixon and Stefan Hoeche and Fernando Febres Cordero and Harald Ita and David Kosower and Daniel Maître},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1210.6684},
year = {2012}
}
Comments
12 pages, contribution to the proceedings of Loops and Legs 2012