# The QCD NLO fragmentation functions for $c$ or $\bar{b}$ quark to $B_c$ or $B_c^*$ meson and their application

## TL;DR

This paper derives and numerically computes the QCD NLO fragmentation functions for charm and bottom quarks to Bc mesons, applying them to predict Bc production at Z-factories with improved accuracy.

## Contribution

It provides the first derivation of NLO fragmentation functions for c and b quarks to Bc mesons and applies them to collider predictions.

## Key findings

- Fragmentation functions derived up to NLO accuracy.
- Numerical results presented with high precision.
- Application to Bc production at Z-factories.

## Abstract

The fragmentation functions for $c$ or $\bar{b}$ quark to $B_c$ or $B_c^*$ meson are derived up to QCD next-to-leading order (NLO). They are further computed numerically and presented in figures precisely. In order to reach a higher accuracy, we have also tried properly to apply them to estimating the $B_c$ and $B_c^*$ production at a $Z$-factory (an $e^+e^-$ collider running at the energy of the $Z$-boson pole).