Abstract
This Collider Cross Talk session will explore the latest developments in the study of top-quark pair production with additional heavy-flavour jets (𝑡𝑡𝑏𝑏/𝑡𝑡cc) at the LHC. Both experimental and theoretical perspectives will be discussed, focusing on differential cross-sections, jet multiplicities, and event kinematics. Particular attention will be given to the challenges in accurately modelling 𝑡𝑡𝑏𝑏 production, including the treatment of the bottom-quark mass and the differences between four-flavour and five-flavour schemes. The session will also address systematic uncertainties, the interplay between data-driven techniques and theoretical predictions, and the areas where further refinement in simulation is needed. By bringing together insights from both experiments and theory, the discussion aims to improve our understanding of top-quark pair production with additional heavy-flavour jets in high-energy collisions.
Speakers
Nedaa-Alexandra Asbah obtained her PhD in 2018 at DESY, with degree awarded by Humboldt University. Between 2018 and 2023 she was a Postdoctoral Researcher at Harvard University. Since 2023 she is CERN Staff Member. In her studies Nedaa-Alexandra focuses on top quarks, associated production of Higgs and the top quark as well as searches with the top quarks. She currently acts as the convenor of the ATLAS top quark group.
Rikkert Frederix obtained his PhD in 2009 at the University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. He worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Institute for Theoritical Physics at the University of Zurich between 2009 and 2012 and in CERN Theory group betwee 2012 and 2015. Until 2019 RIkkert was a Junior Fellow in the Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics Group at the Technical University in Munich. Since 2019 he is a senior Lecturer at the Lund University in Switzerland. In his studies, Rikkert focuses on phenomenology of high-energy physics at the LHC, working on improving the precision of the predictions. He is well-known for his contribution to the MadGraph5_aMC@NLO matrix-element generator.