The Large Hadron–Electron Collider at the HL-LHC

The Large Hadron–Electron Collider (LHeC) is designed to move the field of deep inelastic scattering (DIS) to the energy and intensity frontier of particle physics. Exploiting energy-recovery technology, it collides a novel, intense electron beam with a proton or ion beam from the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). The accelerator and interaction region are designed for concurrent electron–proton and proton–proton operations. This report represents an update to the LHeC’s conceptual design report (CDR), published in 2012. It comprises new results on the parton structure of the proton and heavier nuclei, QCD dynamics, and electroweak and top-quark physics. It is shown how the LHeC will open a new chapter of nuclear particle physics by extending the accessible kinematic range of lepton–nucleus scattering by several orders of magnitude. Due to its enhanced luminosity and large energy and the cleanliness of the final hadronic states, the LHeC has a strong Higgs physics programme and its own discovery potential for new physics. Building on the 2012 CDR, this report contains a detailed updated design for the energy-recovery electron linac (ERL), including a new lattice, magnet and superconducting radio-frequency technology, and further components. Challenges of energy recovery are described, and the lower-energy, high-current, three-turn ERL facility, PERLE at Orsay, is presented, which uses the LHeC characteristics serving as a development facility for the design and operation of the LHeC. An updated detector design is presented corresponding to the acceptance, resolution, and calibration goals that arise from the Higgs and parton-density-function physics programmes. This paper also presents novel results for the Future Circular Collider in electron–hadron (FCC-eh) mode, which utilises the same ERL technology to further extend the reach of DIS to even higher centre-of-mass energies.

$$ t\overline{t}b\overline{b} $$ at the LHC: on the size of corrections and b-jet definitions

We report on the calculation of the next-to-leading order QCD corrections to the production of a $$ t\overline{t} $$ t t ¯ pair in association with two heavy-flavour jets. We concentrate on the di-lepton $$ t\overline{t} $$ t t ¯ decay channel at the LHC with $$ \sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV. The computation is based on pp → e+νeμ−$$ \overline{\nu} $$ ν ¯ μ$$ b\overline{b}b\overline{b} $$ b b ¯ b b ¯ matrix elements and includes all resonant and non-resonant diagrams, interferences and off-shell effects of the top quark and the W gauge boson. As it is customary for such studies, results are presented in the form of inclusive and differential fiducial cross sections. We extensively investigate the dependence of our results upon variation of renormalisation and factorisation scales and parton distribution functions in the quest for an accurate estimate of the theoretical uncertainties. We additionally study the impact of the contributions induced by the bottom-quark parton density. Results presented here are particularly relevant for measurements of $$ t\overline{t}H $$ t t ¯ H (H → $$ b\overline{b} $$ b b ¯ ) and the determination of the Higgs coupling to the top quark. In addition, they might be used for precise measurements of the top-quark fiducial cross sections and to investigate top-quark decay modelling at the LHC.

Bottomonium spectroscopy in the quark–gluon plasma

The spectroscopic properties of heavy quarkonia are substantially different in the quark–gluon plasma (QGP) that is created in relativistic heavy-ion collisions as compared to the vacuum situation that can be tested in [Formula: see text] collisions at the same center-of-mass energy. In this paper, a series of recent works about the dissociation of the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] states in the hot QGP are summarized. Quarkonia dissociation occurs due to (1) screening of the real quark-antiquark potential, (2) collisional damping through the imaginary part of the potential, and (3) gluon-induced dissociation. In addition, reduced feed-down plays a decisive role for the spin-triplet ground state. Transverse-momentum and centrality-dependent data are well reproduced in Pb–Pb collisions at LHC energies. In the asymmetric [Formula: see text]-Pb system, alterations of the parton density functions in the lead nucleus account for the leading fraction of the modifications in cold nuclear matter (CNM), but the hot-medium effects turn out to be relevant in spite of the small initial spatial extent of the fireball, providing additional evidence for the generation of a quark–gluon droplet.

Hot-medium effects on ϒ yields in p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions

The modification of bottomonia yields in Pb–Pb and p–Pb collisions at LHC energies with respect to the expectation from p–p is investigated in a theoretical approach. Dissociation of the ϒ(nS ) and ϒ(nP) states in the hot quark-gluon plasma (QGP) occurs due to screening of the real quark-antiquark potential, collisional damping through the imaginary part of the potential, and gluon-induced dissociation. Reduced feed-down plays a decisive role. Transverse-momentum and centrality-dependent data are well re- produced. In the asymmetric p-Pb system, alterations of the parton density functions in the lead nucleus account for the leading fraction of the modifications in cold nuclear matter (CNM), but the hot-medium effects turn out to be relevant in spite of the small initial spatial extent of the fireball.