NLO QCD corrections to pseudoscalar quarkonium production with two heavy flavors in photon-photon collision

TL;DR

This paper computes NLO QCD corrections for pseudoscalar quarkonium production in photon-photon collisions, improving theoretical predictions and suggesting potential observability at future high-luminosity colliders.

Contribution

It provides the first NLO QCD correction calculations for specific quarkonium production processes within the NRQCD framework.

Findings

NLO corrections are significant for the studied processes.

Theoretical uncertainties are reduced with NLO corrections.

Potential observability of $ ext{eta}_c + c + ar{c}$ production at SuperKEKB.

Abstract

We calculate the next-to-leading order (NLO) quantum chromodynamics (QCD) corrections to $\gamma+\gamma\to \eta_c+c+\bar{c}$, $\gamma+\gamma\to \eta_b+b+\bar{b}$ and $\gamma+\gamma\to B_c+b+\bar{c}$ processes in the framework of non-relativistic QCD (NRQCD) factorization formalism. The cross sections at the SuperKEKB electron-positron collider, as well as the future collider like the Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC), are evaluated. Numerical results indicate that the NLO corrections are significant, and the uncertainties in theoretical predictions with NLO corrections are reduced as expected. Due to the high luminosity of the SuperKEKB collider, the $\eta_c+c+\bar{c}$ production is hopefully observable in the near future.