Measurement of Isolated Prompt Photon Production in Photon-Photon Collisions at sqrt(s)_ee=183-209 GeV

TL;DR

This paper reports the first measurement of isolated prompt photon production in photon-photon collisions at LEP energies, providing experimental data to compare with NLO theoretical predictions.

Contribution

It presents the first study of prompt photon production in quasi-real photon collisions at LEP, measuring cross-sections and comparing them with NLO calculations.

Findings

Total inclusive cross-section: 0.32 +- 0.04 pb.

Differential cross-sections agree with NLO predictions.

First experimental data on prompt photons in photon-photon collisions at LEP.

Abstract

For the first time at LEP the production of prompt photons is studied in the collisions of quasi-real photons using the OPAL data taken at e+e- centre-of-mass energies between 183 GeV and 209 GeV. The total inclusive production cross-section for isolated prompt photons in the kinematic range of photon transverse momentum larger than 3.0 GeV and absolute photon pseudorapidity less than 1 is determined to be 0.32 +- 0.04 (stat) +- 0.04 (sys) pb. Differential cross-sections are compared to the predictions of a next-to-leading-order (NLO) calculation.