Forward $\eta_Q$ production impact factor at NLO

TL;DR

This paper computes the next-to-leading order impact factor for forward $ ext{η}_Q$ production in high-energy QCD, advancing the precision of theoretical predictions for heavy quarkonium production at colliders.

Contribution

It provides the first NLO calculation of the impact factor for $ ext{η}_Q$ production, enabling improved resummation of high-energy logarithms beyond LLA.

Findings

NLO impact factor for $ ext{η}_Q$ production computed.

Enhances accuracy of QCD predictions at forward rapidities.

Supports extension of resummation techniques beyond LLA.

Abstract

The High-Energy Factorisation (HEF) coefficient function or impact factor for the hadroproduction of the state ${}^1S_0^{[1]}$ of a heavy quark-antiquark pair ($Q\bar{Q}$) at forward rapidities is computed at NLO in $\alpha_s$. This impact factor is an integral part of the resummation procedure for higher-order QCD corrections to the hadroproduction cross sections of $\eta_c$ or $\eta_b$ mesons at forward rapidities in collinear factorisation (CF), enhanced by logarithms of partonic center of mass energy. The NLO computation results of which are presented in this contribution, is an important step towards an extension of aforementioned resummation beyond the Leading Logarithmic Approximation(LLA).