Higher-order differential cross section calculation for the associated production ofa W boson and jets in the electron decay channel at a center-of-mass energy of 13TeV in proton-proton collisions

Higher-order cross sections for the production of a W boson in association with jets in the electron decay channel are presented in this study. Cross sections were calculated in a fully differential way using a computational framework based on proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The differential cross section predictions in the fiducial phase-space were compared at next-to-leading order (NLO) and next-to-NLO (NNLO) in perturbative quantum chromodynamics (pQCD). The differential results are reported for the variables including the jet multiplicity, the invariant mass of the W boson, transverse momentum, the jet rapidity, and the electron pseudorapidity that are sensitive to higher-order corrections in pQCD. The presented differential cross sections were generally improved in precision in the NNLO calculation. The total cross sections at NLO and NNLO are also reported in the fiducial phase-space. More accurate results were obtained in the calculation of the total production rates at NNLO. The results in all the calculations are given in the W+ and the W- boson decay channels separately to better assess the impact of the inclusion of higher-order corrections in those processes.