The Energy-Energy Correlation at Next-to-Leading Order in QCD, Analytically

TL;DR

This paper presents the first analytical calculation of the energy-energy correlation at next-to-leading order in QCD, providing a simple expression that enhances understanding of its perturbative structure and aids resummation efforts.

Contribution

It delivers the first analytical NLO result for the EEC in QCD, extending the understanding of its behavior in collinear and back-to-back regions.

Findings

Analytical NLO expression for EEC in QCD.

Expansion of EEC in collinear and back-to-back regions.

Facilitates resummation in these regions.

Abstract

The energy-energy correlation (EEC) between two detectors in $e^+e^-$ annihilation was computed analytically at leading order in QCD almost 40 years ago, and numerically at next-to-leading order (NLO) starting in the 1980s. We present the first analytical result for the EEC at NLO, which is remarkably simple, and facilitates analytical study of the perturbative structure of the EEC. We provide the expansion of EEC in the collinear and back-to-back regions through to next-to-leading power, information which should aid resummation in these regions.