title: Higher-order QCD predictions for dark matter production at the LHC in simplified models withs-channel mediators.
abstract: Weakly interacting dark matter particles can be pair-produced at colliders and detected through signatures featuring missing energy in association with either QCD/EW radiation or heavy quarks. In order to constrain the mass and the couplings to standard model particles, accurate and precise predictions for production cross sections and distributions are of prime importance. In this work, we consider various simplified models withs-channel mediators. We implement such models in the FeynRules/MadGraph5_aMC@NLO framework, which allows to include higher-order QCD corrections in realistic simulations and to study their effect systematically. As a first phenomenological application, we present predictions for dark matter production in association with jets and with a top-quark pair at the LHC, at next-to-leading order accuracy in QCD, including matching/merging to parton showers. Our study shows that higher-order QCD corrections to dark matter production vias-channel mediators have a significant impact not only on total production rates, but also on shapes of distributions. We also show that the inclusion of next-to-leading order effects results in a sizeable reduction of the theoretical uncertainties.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cosmology, Particle Physics and Phenomenology (CP3), Université catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: Mihailo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Backović
authors.affiliation: Institute for Theoretical Particle Physics and Cosmology, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krämer
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cosmology, Particle Physics and Phenomenology (CP3), Université catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maltoni
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cosmology, Particle Physics and Phenomenology (CP3), Université catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: Antony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martini
authors.affiliation: Theoretische Natuurkunde and IIHE/ELEM, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and International Solvay Institutes, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kentarou
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mawatari
authors.affiliation: Institute for Theoretical Particle Physics and Cosmology, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pellen