W Pair Production at the LHC - I. Virtual O(alpha_s^2) Corrections in the High Energy Limit

TL;DR

This paper calculates two-loop and one-loop squared virtual QCD corrections for W boson pair production at the LHC in the high energy limit, confirming the infrared pole structure matches theoretical predictions.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed computation of two-loop virtual corrections for W pair production in the high energy limit, extending previous one-loop results.

Findings

Infrared pole structure agrees with Catani's formalism.

Two-loop corrections are significant for precise predictions.

Results applicable to high energy LHC processes.

Abstract

We present the result for the two-loop and the one-loop squared virtual QCD corrections to the W boson pair production in the quark-anti-quark-annihilation channel in the limit where all kinematical invariants are large compared to the mass of the W boson. The infrared pole structure is in agreement with the prediction of Catani's general formalism for the singularities of two loop amplitudes.