On relation between Parton Branching Approach and CCFM evolution

We consider the associated production of electroweak gauge bosons and charm or beauty quark jets at the LHC using the $k_T$-factorization framework. We apply the transverse momentum dependent (TMD) parton distributions in a proton obtained from the Parton Branching (PB) method as well as from the Catani-Ciafaloni-Fiorani-Marchesini (CCFM) evolution equation. For the PB approach, our prescription merges the standard leading order ${\cal O}(\alpha \alpha_s)$ $k_T$-factorization calculations with several tree-level next-to-leading order ${\cal O}(\alpha \alpha_s^2)$ off-shell production amplitudes. For the CCFM scenario, our consideration is based on the ${\cal O}(\alpha \alpha_s^2)$ off-shell gluon-gluon fusion subprocess $g^* g^* \to Z/W + Q\bar Q$ and some subleading ${\cal O}(\alpha \alpha_s^2)$ subprocesses involving quark interactions, taken into account in conventional (collinear) QCD factorization. We find that the $W + c$ and $Z + b$ cross sections, calculated within the PB and CCFM-based schemes with the proper choice of leading and next-to-leading subprocesses, are in good agreement with each other, thus establishing a correspondence between these two scenarios. A comparison with the latest LHC experimental data is given and the necessity for the proper off-shell treatment of the production amplitudes in determination of the parameters of the TMD parton density is demonstrated.