Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Novel Method For Computations Of Ratios Of Jet Cross Sections In Perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics, Connor Waits

Mathematics Senior Capstone Papers

The strong interaction is the force responsible for binding quarks to form hadrons, such as protons and neutrons, and also for binding protons and neutrons to form the nuclei of atoms. The properties of the strong interaction can be studied in particle collisions from measurements of the production rates of collimated sprays of particles, called jets. In particular, the ratio of the number of collisions that produce three jets over the number of collisions that produce two jets is a direct measure of the strength of the strong interaction. This strength is quantified by the strong coupling constant, αs. Determinations …