An event generator for h→ bb̅ decays at NLO in SMEFT matched to a parton shower
Abstract
We present a Sherpa implementation of NLO corrections in dimension-six Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) to the benchmark process h→ bb̅. The calculation includes NLO QCD corrections matched to a parton shower using an MCatNLO-type framework for decays. Virtual weak effects are included as two-body matrix-element corrections in different electroweak input schemes, with the corresponding decay events also evolved with the QCD parton shower. We present numerical results for the inclusive decay rate and for differential distributions in the Higgs-boson rest frame, and illustrate how the decay implementation can be combined with an independently generated production sample by embedding it in associated Zh production at the LHC. This proof-of-principle implementation demonstrates how NLO SMEFT corrections can be incorporated into the widely used Sherpa event generator, providing a basis for extensions to other processes and for SMEFT studies with realistic final states and fiducial cuts within that framework.
Related
- Parton-shower and fixed-order QCD effects in Higgs boson production in weak-boson fusion and its decays to bottom quarks
- e+e− → ZH at NLO EW matched to a QED parton shower
- Quantum Veto Parton Shower Algorithm in the Conformal Window
- Searching for new physics inside jets with the Herwig 7 generalised parton shower
- Pythia-Contrib: a modular contribution framework for the Pythia 8 event generator
BibTeX
@misc{maskos2026event,
title = {{An event generator for $h\to b\barb$ decays at NLO in SMEFT matched to a parton shower}},
author = {Livia E. G. Maskos and Benjamin D. Pecjak and Shakeel Ur Rahaman and Marek Schönherr},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.11681},
eprint = {2609.11681},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.11681},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - An event generator for h→ bb̅ decays at NLO in SMEFT matched to a parton shower
AU - Livia E. G. Maskos
AU - Benjamin D. Pecjak
AU - Shakeel Ur Rahaman
AU - Marek Schönherr
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/10
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.11681
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.11681
AB - We present a Sherpa implementation of NLO corrections in dimension-six Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) to the benchmark process h→ bb̅. The calculation includes NLO QCD corrections matched to a parton shower using an MCatNLO-type framework for decays. Virtual weak effects are included as two-body matrix-element corrections in different electroweak input schemes, with the corresponding decay events also evolved with the QCD parton shower. We present numerical results for the inclusive decay rate and for differential distributions in the Higgs-boson rest frame, and illustrate how the decay implementation can be combined with an independently generated production sample by embedding it in associated Zh production at the LHC. This proof-of-principle implementation demonstrates how NLO SMEFT corrections can be incorporated into the widely used Sherpa event generator, providing a basis for extensions to other processes and for SMEFT studies with realistic final states and fiducial cuts within that framework.
ER -