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qT Slicing with Multiple Jets

Rong-Jun Fu1,*, Rudi Rahn2,†, Ding Yu Shao1,3,4,‡, Wouter J. Waalewijn5,6,§, and Bin Wu7,∥

  • 1Department of Physics and Center for Field Theory and Particle Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
  • 2University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Boltzmanngasse 5, A-1090 Wien, Austria
  • 3Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Ion-beam Application (MOE), Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
  • 4Shanghai Research Center for Theoretical Nuclear Physics, NSFC and Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
  • 5Nikhef, Theory Group, Science Park 105, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • 6Institute for Theoretical Physics Amsterdam and Delta Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • 7Instituto Galego de Física de Altas Enerxías IGFAE, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, E-15782 Galicia, Spain

  • *Contact author: rjfu23@m.fudan.edu.cn
  • †Contact author: rudi.rahn@univie.ac.at
  • ‡Contact author: dingyu.shao@cern.ch
  • §Contact author: w.j.waalewijn@uva.nl
  • ∥Contact author: b.wu@cern.ch
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 171903 – Published 21 October, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/htvz-wz1p

Abstract

Modern collider phenomenology requires unprecedented precision for the theoretical predictions, for which slicing techniques provide an essential tool at next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) in the strong coupling. The most popular slicing variable is based on the transverse momentum qT of a color-singlet final state, but its generalization to final states with jets is known to be very difficult. Here we propose two generalizations of qT that can be used for jet processes, providing proof of concept with an NLO slicing for pp→2 jets. We present factorization formulas that enable our approach to NNLO, calculate the NNLO collinear-soft function, and demonstrate slicing at this order for e+e−→2 jets. One of these generalizations of qT only applies to planar Born processes, such as pp→2 jets, but offers a dramatic simplification of the soft function. We also discuss how our approach can directly be extended to obtain predictions for the fragmentation of hadrons. This presents a promising path for high-precision QCD calculations with multijet final states.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 171903– Published 21 October, 2025
  • Received 31 December 2024
  • Revised 24 September 2025
  • Accepted 30 September 2025
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