Phenomenology of heavy-flavour jet angularities at hadron colliders
Pith reviewed 2026-06-26 16:28 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
Resummed predictions for b-jet angularities include consistent mass effects and non-perturbative corrections in Z+jet events.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
We compute resummed and matched predictions for jet angularities in hadronic Z+jet events, where the jet is initiated by a b-quark. The analysis is performed both with and without grooming the candidate jets using the SoftDrop algorithm. Mass effects are consistently included at both fixed-order and resummed levels. Our theoretical predictions also incorporate non-perturbative corrections from the underlying event and hadronization, implemented through parton-to-hadron transfer matrices extracted from dedicated Monte Carlo simulations with Sherpa. Finally, we compare results for b-jets with the ones from light-flavour jets, in order to quantify the impact of finite-mass effects.
What carries the argument
Resummed and matched perturbative calculation for jet angularities with consistent finite b-quark mass effects at fixed-order and resummed levels, augmented by parton-to-hadron transfer matrices for non-perturbative corrections.
If this is right
- Provides matched predictions for both groomed and ungroomed b-jet angularities that can be compared directly to collider data.
- Quantifies the numerical size of finite-mass corrections by explicit comparison to light-flavour jet results.
- Supplies a consistent framework that treats mass effects at both fixed-order and resummed accuracy.
- Incorporates underlying-event and hadronization effects via Monte Carlo-derived transfer matrices.
Where Pith is reading between the lines
- The same transfer-matrix approach could be applied to charm-initiated jets if dedicated Sherpa samples are generated.
- These predictions may reduce theory uncertainties when angularity observables are used in b-jet tagging or heavy-flavour jet substructure analyses at the LHC.
- Extension to other angularity exponents or to different grooming parameters would test the robustness of the mass-effect treatment.
Load-bearing premise
The parton-to-hadron transfer matrices extracted from Sherpa Monte Carlo simulations accurately capture the non-perturbative corrections for b-jets without introducing uncontrolled biases when applied to the resummed perturbative calculation.
What would settle it
A statistically significant mismatch between the predicted angularity distributions for b-jets and LHC measurements in Z+jet events that exceeds the combined theoretical and experimental uncertainties.
read the original abstract
We compute resummed and matched predictions for jet angularities in hadronic Z+jet events, where the jet is initiated by a b-quark. The analysis is performed both with and without grooming the candidate jets using the SoftDrop algorithm. Mass effects are consistently included at both fixed-order and resummed levels. Our theoretical predictions also incorporate non-perturbative corrections from the underlying event and hadronization, implemented through parton-to-hadron transfer matrices extracted from dedicated Monte Carlo simulations with Sherpa. Finally, we compare results for b-jets with the ones from light-flavour jets, in order to quantify the impact of finite-mass effects.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper computes resummed and matched predictions for jet angularities in hadronic Z+jet events with b-quark initiated jets, both with and without SoftDrop grooming. Mass effects are included consistently at fixed-order and resummed levels. Non-perturbative corrections from underlying event and hadronization are added via parton-to-hadron transfer matrices extracted from dedicated Sherpa Monte Carlo simulations. Results for b-jets are compared to light-flavour jets to quantify finite-mass effects.
Significance. If the transfer-matrix approach is shown to be consistent with the analytic mass treatment, the work would supply useful phenomenological predictions for heavy-flavour jet substructure at the LHC, enabling direct quantification of mass effects in angularity observables. The consistent inclusion of mass effects at both perturbative levels is a clear methodological strength.
major comments (1)
- [Abstract (final paragraph)] Abstract (final paragraph) and corresponding methods section on non-perturbative corrections: the central claim that finite-mass effects can be quantified via b-jet versus light-jet differences relies on the transfer matrices accurately representing non-perturbative effects without introducing biases from Sherpa's parton-level mass treatment or shower ordering. No validation, error budget, or consistency check with the analytic resummation is described; this is load-bearing because any mismatch would directly affect the reported mass-effect differences.
minor comments (1)
- The abstract does not specify the angularity parameter values, the jet radius, or the collider energy; adding these would improve clarity for readers.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for their thorough review and valuable feedback on our manuscript. We have carefully considered the major comment and have revised the manuscript to address the concerns regarding the validation of the non-perturbative corrections.
read point-by-point responses
-
Referee: Abstract (final paragraph) and corresponding methods section on non-perturbative corrections: the central claim that finite-mass effects can be quantified via b-jet versus light-jet differences relies on the transfer matrices accurately representing non-perturbative effects without introducing biases from Sherpa's parton-level mass treatment or shower ordering. No validation, error budget, or consistency check with the analytic resummation is described; this is load-bearing because any mismatch would directly affect the reported mass-effect differences.
Authors: We agree that providing additional validation and an error budget for the transfer-matrix approach is important to support our claims. In the revised manuscript, we have expanded the methods section to include a detailed description of how the transfer matrices were extracted from Sherpa simulations, including the specific settings used for parton shower and hadronization. We have added comparisons of the transfer matrices obtained with different shower orderings and parameter variations to provide an estimate of the associated uncertainties. Furthermore, we include a consistency check at the parton level by comparing the analytic resummed predictions for light-flavour jets with those from the Sherpa parton shower before applying the transfer matrices. While a complete analytic consistency check incorporating the full mass-dependent resummation is not straightforward given the Monte Carlo nature of the corrections, these additions address the potential biases and strengthen the reliability of the b-jet versus light-jet differences. The abstract has been updated to mention these validations. revision: yes
Circularity Check
No significant circularity detected.
full rationale
The paper's central derivation computes resummed and matched predictions for jet angularities with consistent mass effects at fixed-order and resummed levels, then applies non-perturbative corrections via parton-to-hadron transfer matrices extracted from external Sherpa Monte Carlo simulations. This structure relies on independent external tools and simulations rather than any self-referential fitting, self-definition of observables, or load-bearing self-citations that reduce the result to its own inputs by construction. The b-jet versus light-flavour comparison follows directly from the perturbative mass treatment without circular reduction. The derivation is therefore self-contained against external benchmarks.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
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