Estimate of the Three-Loop MS bar Contribution to sigma(W_L^+ W_L^- --> Z_L Z_L)

Abstract

The three-loop contribution to the MS bar single-Higgs-doublet standard-model cross-section $\sigma(W_L^+ W_L^- \to Z_L Z_L)$ at s = (5M_H)^2 is estimated via least-squares matching of the asymptotic Pade-approximant prediction of the next order term, a procedure that has been previously applied to QCD corrections to correlation functions and decay amplitudes. In contrast to these prior applications, the expansion parameter for the W_L^+ W_L^- \to Z_L Z_L process is the non-asymptotically-free quartic scalar-field coupling of the standard model, suggesting that the least-squares matching be performed over the "infrared" mu^2 <= s region of the scale parameter. All three coefficients of logarithms within the three-loop term obtained by such matching are found to be within 6.6% relative error of their true values, as determined via renormalization-group methods. Surprisingly, almost identical results are obtained by performing the least squares matching over the mu^2 >= s region.