Next-to-leading order QCD corrections to pp --> b b_bar b b_bar + X at the LHC: the quark induced case

The production of two b-quark pairs is a prominent background for Higgs and New Physics searches in various extensions of the Standard Model. We present here the next-to-leading order QCD corrections to the quark induced subprocess using the GOLEM approach for the virtual corrections. We show that our result considerably improves the prediction and conclude that the inclusion of next-to-leading order effects is indispensable for reliable studies of four b-quark observables in hadronic collisions.
Comment: 9 pages latex, 6 eps figures included