Parton Showers beyond Leading Logarithmic Accuracy

Parton showers are among the most widely used tools in collider physics. Despite their key importance, none so far have been able to demonstrate accuracy beyond a basic level known as leading logarithmic order, with ensuing limitations across a broad spectrum of physics applications. In this Letter, we propose criteria for showers to be considered next-to-leading logarithmic accurate. We then introduce new classes of shower, for final-state radiation, that satisfy the main elements of these criteria in the widely used large-NC limit. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate these showers’ agreement with all-order analytical next-to-leading logarithmic calculations for a range of observables, something never so far achieved for any parton shower.