Precision analysis ofΛMS―and the gluon distribution and its implications for jet and top-quark cross sections

Abstract

Recent deep-inelastic and prompt-photon data are used to put quantitative limits on ${\Lambda }_{\overline{\mathrm{MS}}}$ (where $\overline{\mathrm{MS}}$ denotes the modified minimal-subtraction scheme) and the gluon distribution, taking fully into account the correlations between the two. The results are used (a) to assess the potential discriminating power of precision measurements of the large-transverse-momentum jet cross section at the Fermilab $p\overline{p}$ collider, and (b) to estimate the theoretical error on a top-quark-mass measurement or lower limit at the same collider. We estimate this latter error at approximately ±4 GeV at present, with the prospect of some slight improvement from an additional calibration from the jet cross section.