Measurement of double-differential cross sections for top quark pair production in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV and impact on parton distribution functions

CMS Collaboration

Published 2017-03-05Version 1

Normalized double-differential cross sections for top quark pair (ttbar) production are measured in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the CMS experiment at the LHC. The analyzed data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns. The measurement is performed in the dilepton e+/- mu-/+ final state. The ttbar cross section is determined as a function of various pairs of observables characterizing the kinematics of the top quark and ttbar system. The data are compared to calculations using perturbative quantum chromodynamics at next-to-leading and approximate next-to-next-to-leading orders. They are also compared to predictions of Monte Carlo event generators that complement fixed-order computations with parton showers, hadronization, and multiple-parton interactions. Overall agreement is observed with the predictions, which is improved when the latest global sets of proton parton distribution functions are used. The inclusion of the measured ttbar cross sections in a fit of parametrized parton distribution functions is shown to have significant impact on the gluon distribution.