Consistent factorization of jet observables in exclusive multijet cross sections

Abstract

We demonstrate the consistency at the next-to-leading-logarithmic (NLL) level of a factorization theorem based on Soft-Collinear Effective Theory (SCET) for jet shapes in e+e− collisions. We consider measuring jet observables in exclusive multijet final states defined with cone and kT-type jet algorithms. Consistency of the factorization theorem requires that the renormalization group evolution of hard, jet, and soft functions is such that the physical cross section is independent of the factorization scale μ. The anomalous dimensions of the various factorized pieces, however, depend on the color representation of jets, choice of jet observable, the number of jets whose shapes are measured, and the jet algorithm, making it highly nontrivial to satisfy the consistency condition. We demonstrate the intricate cancellations between anomalous dimensions that occur at the NLL level, so that, up to power corrections that we identify, our factorization of the jet shape distributions is consistent for any number of quark and gluon jets, for any number of jets whose shapes are measured or unmeasured, for any angular size R of the jets, and for any of the algorithms we consider. Corrections to these results are suppressed by the SCET expansion parameter λ (set by the ratio of the typical momentum in a jet transverse to the jet axis to the total jet energy) and in the jet separation measure 1/t2=tan2(R/2)/tan2(ψ/2), where ψ is the angular separation between jets. Our results can be used to calculate a wide variety of jet observables in multijet final states to NLL accuracy.