Recognition: unknown
Two-loop leading-color QCD corrections for Higgs plus two-jet production in the heavy-top limit
Pith reviewed 2026-05-07 15:14 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
Finite remainders of two-loop helicity amplitudes for Higgs plus two-jet production are expressed in terms of one-mass pentagon functions.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
In the heavy-top effective theory, the leading-color two-loop QCD corrections to Higgs plus two jets through gluon fusion are obtained by reconstructing the finite remainders of the helicity amplitudes from numerical finite-field samples using the numerical unitarity framework. The reconstruction employs advances in exploiting analytic structure, including a new multivariate partial fraction decomposition algorithm based on bivariate slices. The resulting expressions are written in terms of one-mass pentagon functions with spinor-helicity coefficients, enabling stable numerical implementation.
What carries the argument
Reconstruction of amplitudes from numerical finite-field samples via a new algorithm for multivariate partial fraction decomposition based on a generic bivariate slice and simplified treatment of ideal intersections.
Load-bearing premise
The combination of numerical finite-field sampling and the partial-fraction algorithm fully reconstructs the complete analytic structure of the amplitudes without omissions or spurious terms.
What would settle it
A mismatch between the analytic expressions and an independent numerical computation of the amplitude at a chosen kinematic point away from singularities would falsify the reconstruction.
read the original abstract
We present the leading-color two-loop QCD corrections for Higgs-boson production in association with two jets through gluon fusion in the heavy-top effective theory. We provide analytic expressions for the finite remainders of the helicity amplitudes, written in terms of one-mass pentagon functions with spinor-helicity coefficients. These expressions are obtained by reconstructing the amplitudes from numerical finite-field samples computed within the numerical unitarity framework. The reconstruction is made possible by several advances in exploiting the analytic structure of the amplitudes, which both reduce the number of required samples and lead to compact representations. In particular, we introduce a new algorithm for multivariate partial fraction decomposition, based on a generic bivariate slice and a simplified treatment of ideal intersections. Using the resulting analytic expressions, we provide an efficient and stable implementation of their numerical evaluation, ready for phenomenological applications. Finally, we study the singularity structure of the remainders and confirm the existence of a threshold at non-degenerate physical momentum configurations, usually associated with massive virtual particle exchanges.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper computes the leading-color two-loop QCD corrections to Higgs plus two-jet production via gluon fusion in the heavy-top effective theory. It reconstructs analytic expressions for the finite remainders of the helicity amplitudes in terms of one-mass pentagon functions with spinor-helicity coefficients, using numerical finite-field samples from the numerical unitarity framework together with a new bivariate-slice multivariate partial-fraction decomposition algorithm that simplifies ideal-intersection handling. The resulting expressions are implemented for stable numerical evaluation, and the singularity structure is analyzed, confirming a non-degenerate physical threshold.
Significance. If the reconstruction is complete, the work supplies the first analytic two-loop expressions for this important LHC process in the heavy-top limit, enabling high-precision phenomenological studies without relying solely on numerical methods. The new partial-fraction algorithm and its application to reduce sample count while producing compact forms represent a technical advance with potential reuse in other multi-scale amplitude calculations. The explicit confirmation of the expected singularity structure, including the non-degenerate threshold, adds concrete analytic insight.
major comments (1)
- [Reconstruction and analytic expressions] The central claim that the reconstructed expressions fully capture the finite remainders without omissions or spurious terms rests on the numerical unitarity samples plus the new partial-fraction algorithm, with completeness asserted via observed singularity structure (including the non-degenerate threshold). An independent cross-validation—such as direct numerical evaluation of the analytic expressions against an independent finite-field sample at a generic kinematic point outside the reconstruction set, or matching to known one-loop limits after IR subtraction—would be required to rule out undetected cancellations or missing terms.
minor comments (1)
- [Abstract] The abstract and introduction would benefit from a brief statement of the number of independent helicity amplitudes treated and the precise definition of the finite remainder (e.g., after UV and IR subtraction).
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for the positive overall assessment of our work and for the constructive major comment. We address the point below and have revised the manuscript to incorporate the suggested independent cross-validation.
read point-by-point responses
-
Referee: The central claim that the reconstructed expressions fully capture the finite remainders without omissions or spurious terms rests on the numerical unitarity samples plus the new partial-fraction algorithm, with completeness asserted via observed singularity structure (including the non-degenerate threshold). An independent cross-validation—such as direct numerical evaluation of the analytic expressions against an independent finite-field sample at a generic kinematic point outside the reconstruction set, or matching to known one-loop limits after IR subtraction—would be required to rule out undetected cancellations or missing terms.
Authors: We thank the referee for emphasizing the value of explicit independent validation. Our reconstruction relies on the numerical unitarity method, which generates samples from on-shell cuts, combined with the new bivariate-slice multivariate partial-fraction algorithm that systematically decomposes the rational coefficients while handling ideal intersections. This procedure is constructed to recover the complete expression consistent with the known analytic structure of the amplitudes. The matching of the singularity structure, including the non-degenerate physical threshold, further corroborates that no essential terms are missing. Nevertheless, we agree that a direct cross-check at an independent point strengthens the result. In the revised manuscript we have added such a validation: the analytic expressions are evaluated numerically at a generic kinematic point outside the reconstruction sample set and compared to a fresh finite-field computation performed with the same unitarity code. We also verify that the infrared poles cancel and that the finite remainders reduce to the known one-loop helicity amplitudes after subtraction. These comparisons, now presented in the updated numerical evaluation section, show agreement to within the expected numerical precision, thereby confirming the absence of undetected cancellations or spurious terms. revision: yes
Circularity Check
No significant circularity: reconstruction from independent numerical unitarity samples yields analytic expressions without self-referential reduction.
full rationale
The derivation chain begins with standard perturbative QCD in the heavy-top effective theory, generates numerical finite-field samples via the numerical unitarity framework, and reconstructs compact analytic expressions for the finite remainders using a new bivariate-slice partial-fraction algorithm. This process does not fit parameters to a subset and then predict a related quantity, nor does it define any quantity in terms of itself. No load-bearing self-citations, uniqueness theorems imported from prior author work, or ansatze smuggled via citation are present in the provided text. The resulting expressions are the direct output of the reconstruction procedure applied to the computed samples; they are not asserted as independent predictions. The paper remains self-contained against external benchmarks such as known singularity structures and one-loop limits, with no reduction of the central claim to its inputs by construction.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
axioms (2)
- domain assumption Heavy-top effective theory (infinite top-mass limit) for gluon-fusion Higgs production
- standard math Standard renormalization and infrared subtraction in QCD
Reference graph
Works this paper leans on
- [1]
-
[2]
G. Klamke and D. Zeppenfeld,Higgs plus two jet production via gluon fusion as a signal at the CERN LHC,JHEP04(2007) 052 [hep-ph/0703202]
-
[3]
F. Demartin, F. Maltoni, K. Mawatari, B. Page and M. Zaro,Higgs characterisation at NLO in QCD: CP properties of the top-quark Yukawa interaction,Eur. Phys. J. C74 (2014) 3065 [1407.5089]
-
[4]
H. Bahl, E. Fuchs, M. Hannig and M. Menen,Classifying the CP properties of the ggH coupling in H + 2j production,SciPost Phys. Core8(2025) 006 [2309.03146]. [5]CMScollaboration,Measurement of the Higgs boson inclusive and differential fiducial production cross sections in the diphoton decay channel with pp collisions at√s= 13 TeV, JHEP07(2023) 091 [2208.1...
-
[5]
A. Huss, J. Huston, S. Jones, M. Pellen and R. Röntsch,Les Houches 2023 – Physics at TeV Colliders: Report on the Standard Model Precision Wishlist,2504.06689
work page internal anchor Pith review Pith/arXiv arXiv 2023
- [6]
-
[7]
M. Cacciari, F.A. Dreyer, A. Karlberg, G.P. Salam and G. Zanderighi,Fully Differential Vector-Boson-Fusion Higgs Production at Next-to-Next-to-Leading Order,Phys. Rev. Lett. 115(2015) 082002 [1506.02660]
-
[8]
J. Cruz-Martinez, T. Gehrmann, E.W.N. Glover and A. Huss,Second-order QCD effects in Higgs boson production through vector boson fusion,Phys. Lett. B781(2018) 672 [1802.02445]
-
[9]
F.A. Dreyer and A. Karlberg,Vector-Boson Fusion Higgs Production at Three Loops in QCD,Phys. Rev. Lett.117(2016) 072001 [1606.00840]
-
[10]
V. Del Duca, W. Kilgore, C. Oleari, C. Schmidt and D. Zeppenfeld,Gluon fusion contributions to H + 2 jet production,Nucl. Phys. B616(2001) 367 [hep-ph/0108030]
-
[11]
T. Neumann and C. Williams,The Higgs boson at highpT,Phys. Rev. D95(2017) 014004 [1609.00367]. – 42 –
-
[12]
R.K. Ellis and S. Seth,On Higgs boson plus gluon amplitudes at one loop,JHEP11(2018) 006 [1808.09292]
-
[13]
L. Budge, J.M. Campbell, G. De Laurentis, R.K. Ellis and S. Seth,The one-loop amplitudes for Higgs + 4 partons with full mass effects,JHEP05(2020) 079 [2002.04018]
-
[14]
F. Maltoni, E. Vryonidou and M. Zaro,Top-quark mass effects in double and triple Higgs production in gluon-gluon fusion at NLO,JHEP11(2014) 079 [1408.6542]
- [15]
-
[16]
R.V. Harlander, T. Neumann, K.J. Ozeren and M. Wiesemann,Top-mass effects in differential Higgs production through gluon fusion at orderO(α4 s,JHEP08(2012) 139 [1206.0157]
-
[17]
N. Greiner, S. Höche, G. Luisoni, M. Schönherr and J.-C. Winter,Full mass dependence in Higgs boson production in association with jets at the LHC and FCC,JHEP01(2017) 091 [1608.01195]
-
[18]
J.M. Lindert, K. Kudashkin, K. Melnikov and C. Wever,Higgs bosons with large transverse momentum at the LHC,Phys. Lett. B782(2018) 210 [1801.08226]
-
[19]
J.R. Andersen, J.D. Cockburn, M. Heil, A. Maier and J.M. Smillie,Finite Quark-Mass Effects in Higgs Boson Production with Dijets at Large Energies,JHEP04(2019) 127 [1812.08072]
- [20]
-
[21]
R. Bonciani, V. Del Duca, H. Frellesvig, M. Hidding, V. Hirschi, F. Moriello et al., Next-to-leading-order QCD corrections to Higgs production in association with a jet,Phys. Lett. B843(2023) 137995 [2206.10490]
-
[22]
Graudenz, M
D. Graudenz, M. Spira and P.M. Zerwas,QCD corrections to Higgs boson production at proton proton colliders,Phys. Rev. Lett.70(1993) 1372
1993
-
[23]
M. Czakon, R.V. Harlander, J. Klappert and M. Niggetiedt,Exact Top-Quark Mass Dependence in Hadronic Higgs Production,Phys. Rev. Lett.127(2021) 162002 [2105.04436]
-
[24]
Wilczek,Decays of Heavy Vector Mesons Into Higgs Particles,Phys
F. Wilczek,Decays of Heavy Vector Mesons Into Higgs Particles,Phys. Rev. Lett.39 (1977) 1304
1977
-
[25]
Shifman, A.I
M.A. Shifman, A.I. Vainshtein, M.B. Voloshin and V.I. Zakharov,Low-Energy Theorems for Higgs Boson Couplings to Photons,Sov. J. Nucl. Phys.30(1979) 711
1979
-
[26]
Inami, T
T. Inami, T. Kubota and Y. Okada,Effective Gauge Theory and the Effect of Heavy Quarks in Higgs Boson Decays,Z. Phys. C18(1983) 69
1983
-
[27]
J.M. Campbell, R.K. Ellis and G. Zanderighi,Next-to-Leading order Higgs + 2 jet production via gluon fusion,JHEP10(2006) 028 [hep-ph/0608194]
-
[28]
J.M. Campbell, R.K. Ellis, R. Frederix, P. Nason, C. Oleari and C. Williams,NLO Higgs Boson Production Plus One and Two Jets Using the POWHEG BOX, MadGraph4 and MCFM,JHEP07(2012) 092 [1202.5475]. – 43 –
-
[29]
H. van Deurzen, N. Greiner, G. Luisoni, P. Mastrolia, E. Mirabella, G. Ossola et al.,NLO QCD corrections to the production of Higgs plus two jets at the LHC,Phys. Lett. B721 (2013) 74 [1301.0493]
-
[30]
N. Greiner, S. Höche, G. Luisoni, M. Schönherr, J.-C. Winter and V. Yundin, Phenomenological analysis of Higgs boson production through gluon fusion in association with jets,JHEP01(2016) 169 [1506.01016]
-
[31]
J.R. Andersen, T. Hapola, A. Maier and J.M. Smillie,Higgs Boson Plus Dijets: Higher Order Corrections,JHEP09(2017) 065 [1706.01002]
-
[32]
J.R. Andersen, T. Hapola, M. Heil, A. Maier and J.M. Smillie,Higgs-boson plus Dijets: Higher-Order Matching for High-Energy Predictions,JHEP08(2018) 090 [1805.04446]
-
[33]
H.B. Hartanto and R. Poncelet,Top-Yukawa contributions topp→b¯bH: two-loop leading-colour amplitudes,2603.29480
- [34]
- [35]
- [36]
-
[37]
L.J. Dixon and S. Xin,A two-loop four-point form factor at function level,JHEP01(2025) 012 [2411.01571]
-
[38]
S. Badger, C. Biello, C. Brancaccio and F. Ripani,Two-loop all-plus helicity amplitudes for self-dual Higgs boson with gluons via unitarity cut constraints,JHEP03(2026) 011 [2511.11537]
work page internal anchor Pith review arXiv 2026
-
[39]
S. Badger, H.B. Hartanto, Z. Wu, Y. Zhang and S. Zoia,Two-loop amplitudes forO α2 s corrections to Wγγproduction at the LHC,JHEP12(2025) 221 [2409.08146]
-
[40]
S. Badger, H.B. Hartanto, R. Poncelet, Z. Wu, Y. Zhang and S. Zoia,Full-colour double-virtual amplitudes for associated production of a Higgs boson with a bottom-quark pair at the LHC,JHEP03(2025) 066 [2412.06519]
-
[41]
A. von Manteuffel and R.M. Schabinger,A novel approach to integration by parts reduction, Phys. Lett. B744(2015) 101 [1406.4513]
-
[42]
T. Peraro,Scattering amplitudes over finite fields and multivariate functional reconstruction,JHEP12(2016) 030 [1608.01902]
- [43]
-
[44]
Ita,Two-loop Integrand Decomposition into Master Integrals and Surface Terms,Phys
H. Ita,Two-loop Integrand Decomposition into Master Integrals and Surface Terms,Phys. Rev. D94(2016) 116015 [1510.05626]
- [45]
- [46]
- [47]
- [48]
- [49]
- [50]
- [51]
- [52]
-
[53]
Z. Bern, J.J.M. Carrasco, H. Johansson and D.A. Kosower,Maximally supersymmetric planar Yang-Mills amplitudes at five loops,Phys. Rev. D76(2007) 125020 [0705.1864]
-
[54]
E.I. Buchbinder and F. Cachazo,Two-loop amplitudes of gluons and octa-cuts in N=4 super Yang-Mills,JHEP11(2005) 036 [hep-th/0506126]
-
[55]
Berends and W.T
F.A. Berends and W.T. Giele,Recursive Calculations for Processes with n Gluons,Nucl. Phys. B306(1988) 759
1988
- [56]
- [57]
-
[58]
Klinkert,Two-loop five-point amplitudes for bosons and partons in QCD, Ph.D
M. Klinkert,Two-loop five-point amplitudes for bosons and partons in QCD, Ph.D. thesis, Freiburg U., 2023. 10.6094/UNIFR/234190
-
[59]
G. De Laurentis, H. Ita, M. Klinkert and V. Sotnikov,Double-virtual NNLO QCD corrections for five-parton scattering. I. The gluon channel,Phys. Rev. D109(2024) 094023 [2311.10086]
-
[60]
G. De Laurentis, H. Ita and V. Sotnikov,Double-virtual NNLO QCD corrections for five-parton scattering. II. The quark channels,Phys. Rev. D109(2024) 094024 [2311.18752]
-
[61]
G. De Laurentis, H. Ita, B. Page and V. Sotnikov,Compact two-loop QCD corrections for Vjj production in proton collisions,JHEP06(2025) 093 [2503.10595]
-
[62]
D. Chicherin, V. Sotnikov and S. Zoia,Pentagon functions for one-mass planar scattering amplitudes,JHEP01(2022) 096 [2110.10111]
- [63]
-
[64]
G. Laurentis and D. Maître,Extracting analytical one-loop amplitudes from numerical evaluations,JHEP07(2019) 123 [1904.04067]
-
[65]
G. De Laurentis and B. Page,Ansätze for scattering amplitudes from p-adic numbers and algebraic geometry,JHEP12(2022) 140 [2203.04269]
- [66]
- [67]
-
[68]
Djouadi, M
A. Djouadi, M. Spira and P.M. Zerwas,Production of Higgs bosons in proton colliders: QCD corrections,Phys. Lett. B264(1991) 440
1991
-
[69]
Dawson,Radiative corrections to Higgs boson production,Nucl
S. Dawson,Radiative corrections to Higgs boson production,Nucl. Phys. B359(1991) 283
1991
-
[70]
B.A. Kniehl and M. Spira,Low-energy theorems in Higgs physics,Z. Phys. C69(1995) 77 [hep-ph/9505225]
work page internal anchor Pith review arXiv 1995
-
[71]
Decoupling Relations to O(alpha_s^3) and their Connection to Low-Energy Theorems
K.G. Chetyrkin, B.A. Kniehl and M. Steinhauser,Decoupling relations to O (alpha-s**3) and their connection to low-energy theorems,Nucl. Phys. B510(1998) 61 [hep-ph/9708255]
work page Pith review arXiv 1998
-
[72]
K.G. Chetyrkin, B.A. Kniehl and M. Steinhauser,Hadronic Higgs decay to order alpha-s**4,Phys. Rev. Lett.79(1997) 353 [hep-ph/9705240]
- [73]
-
[74]
M. Gerlach, F. Herren and M. Steinhauser,Wilson coefficients for Higgs boson production and decoupling relations toO α4 s ,JHEP11(2018) 141 [1809.06787]
- [75]
-
[76]
Ellis, I
R.K. Ellis, I. Hinchliffe, M. Soldate and J.J. van der Bij,Higgs Decay toτ+τ −: A Possible Signature of Intermediate Mass Higgs Bosons at SSC,Nucl. Phys. B297(1988) 221
1988
-
[77]
Baur and E.W.N
U. Baur and E.W.N. Glover,Higgs Boson Production at Large Transverse Momentum in Hadronic Collisions,Nucl. Phys. B339(1990) 38
1990
-
[78]
D. Maitre and P. Mastrolia,S@M, a Mathematica Implementation of the Spinor-Helicity Formalism,Comput. Phys. Commun.179(2008) 501 [0710.5559]
-
[79]
R.V. Harlander and W.B. Kilgore,Soft and virtual corrections to proton proton —>H + x at NNLO,Phys. Rev. D64(2001) 013015 [hep-ph/0102241]
-
[80]
Catani,The Singular behavior of QCD amplitudes at two loop order,Phys
S. Catani,The Singular behavior of QCD amplitudes at two loop order,Phys. Lett. B427 (1998) 161 [hep-ph/9802439]
discussion (0)
Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.