TMD Fragmentation Functions at N$^3$LO

TL;DR

This paper presents the calculation of unpolarized quark and gluon TMD fragmentation functions at N$^3$LO in QCD, advancing precision in understanding hadronization processes.

Contribution

It provides the first N$^3$LO computation of TMDFFs using a novel relation to collinear limits of high-order cross sections.

Findings

Results agree with independent calculations by Luo et al.

Enhances theoretical precision for TMD fragmentation functions.

Connects TMDFFs to N$^3$LO semi-inclusive cross sections.

Abstract

We compute the unpolarized quark and gluon transverse-momentum dependent fragmentation functions (TMDFFs) at next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N$^3$LO) in perturbative QCD. The calculation is based on a relation between the TMDFF and the limit of the semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering cross section where all final-state radiation becomes collinear to the detected hadron. The required cross section is obtained by analytically continuing our recent computation of the Drell-Yan and Higgs boson production cross section at N$^3$LO expanded around the limit of all final-state radiation becoming collinear to one of the initial states. Our results agree with a recent independent calculation by Luo et al.