Unpolarized QED parton distribution functions in NLO

TL;DR

This paper provides explicit perturbative solutions for unpolarized QED parton distribution functions at NLO, including analytical calculations up to third order, aiding high-precision experimental analyses.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed iterative scheme for solving QED evolution equations and computes terms up to (^3L^2) analytically, enhancing precision in QED predictions.

Findings

Analytical expressions for QED PDFs up to (^3L^2)

Process-independent results suitable for high-precision experiments

Explicit NLO solutions for unpolarized QED fragmentation functions

Abstract

Perturbative solutions for unpolarized QED parton distribution and fragmentation functions are presented explicitly in the next-to-leading logarithmic approximation. The scheme of iterative solution of QED evolution equations is described in detail. Terms up to $\mathcal{O}(\alpha^3L^2)$ are calculated analytically, where $L=\ln(\mu_F^2/m_e^2)$ is the large logarithm which depends on the factorization energy scale $\mu_F\gg m_e$. The results are process independent and relevant for future high-precision experiments.