Resummation of threshold double logarithms in hadroproduction of heavy quarkonium

TL;DR

This paper develops a resummation technique for threshold double logarithms in heavy quarkonium production, improving theoretical predictions and aligning them with experimental data at high transverse momentum.

Contribution

It introduces a resummation method for threshold double logarithms in heavy quarkonium production, addressing issues of negative cross sections in fixed-order calculations.

Findings

Resummation stabilizes quarkonium cross section predictions.

Resummation is essential for matching experimental prompt $J/\psi$ production rates.

Fixed-order theory fails at large transverse momentum without resummation.

Abstract

We resum threshold double logarithms that appear in inclusive production of heavy quarkonium. This resolves the catastrophic failure of fixed-order perturbation theory where quarkonium cross sections at large transverse momentum can turn negative due to large radiative corrections. We find that resummation is imperative for describing measured prompt production rates of $J/\psi$ at large transverse momentum.