Nonglobal correlations in collider physics

Abstract

Despite their importance for precision QCD calculations, correlations between in- and out-of-jet regions of phase space have never directly been observed. These so-called nonglobal effects are present generically whenever a collider physics measurement is not explicitly dependent on radiation throughout the entire phase space. In this paper, we introduce a novel procedure based on mutual information, which allows us to isolate these nonglobal correlations between measurements made in different regions of phase space. We study this procedure both analytically and in Monte Carlo simulations in the context of observables measured on hadronic final states produced in e[superscript +]e[superscript -] collisions, though it is more widely applicable. The procedure exploits the sensitivity of soft radiation at large angles to nonglobal correlations, and we calculate these correlations through next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy. The bulk of these nonglobal correlations are found to be described in Monte Carlo simulation. They increase by the inclusion of nonperturbative effects, which we show can be incorporated in our calculation through the use of a model shape function. This procedure illuminates the source of nonglobal correlations and has connections more broadly to fundamental quantities in quantum field theory.