Real next-to-next-to-leading-order QCD corrections to J/ψ and ϒ hadroproduction in association with a photon

AbstractWe update the study of the QCD corrections to direct J/ψ and ϒ hadroproduction in association with a photon in the QCD-based approach of the Colour-Singlet (CS) Model. After comparison with the recent full next-to-leading-order (NLO) computation for this process, we provide an independent confirmation to the inclusive case that NLO QCD corrections to quarkonium-production processes whose LO exhibits a non-leading PT behaviour can be reliably computed at mid and large PT by considering only the real emission contributions accompanied with a kinematical cut. In turn, we evaluate the leading part of the αS4α contributions, namely those coming from (J/ψ,ϒ)+γ associated with two light partons. We find that they are dominant at mid and large PT. This confirms our expectations from the leading PT scaling of the new topologies appearing at NNLO. We obtain that the yield from the CS becomes one order of magnitude larger than the upper value of the potential colour-octet yield. The polarisation of the S13 quarkonia produced in association with a photon is confirmed to be longitudinal at mid and large PT

Generalized Parton Distributions of the Pion

Off-forward structure functions of the pion are investigated in twist-two and twist-three approximation. A simple model is used for the pion, which allows to introduce finite size effects, while preserving gauge invariance. Results for the imaginary parts of the gamma^* pi -> gamma^* pi off-forward amplitude and of the structure functions are presented. Generalized Callan-Gross relations are obtained.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, LaTeX, uses espcrc2.sty (included), presented at QCD03 Conference, Montpellier, France, July 200

Upsilon production in pp and pA collisions: from RHIC to the LHC

I discuss Upsilon production in pp collisions at RHIC, Tevatron and LHC energies, in particular the behaviour of the differential cross section in rapidity and the impact of QCD corrections on the P_T differential cross section. I also emphasise the very good agreement between the parameter-free predictions of the Colour-Singlet Model (CSM) and the first LHC data, especially in the region of low transverse momenta, which is the most relevant one for heavy-ion studies. I also show that the CSM predicts Upsilon cross-section ratios in agreement with the most recent LHC data. I then briefly discuss the nuclear-matter effects on Upsilon production at RHIC and the LHC in p(d)A collisions and, by extension, in AA collisions. I argue that a) the Upsilon break-up probability can be neglected, at RHIC and the LHC, b) gluon shadowing --although non-negligible-- is not strong enough to describe forward RHIC data, c) backward RHIC data hints at a gluon EMC effect, possibly stronger than the quark one. Outlooks for the LHC pPb run are also presented.Comment: Contribution to the 5th International Conference On Hard And Electromagnetic Probes Of High-Energy Nuclear Collisions (HP2012), 27 May - 1 June 2012, Cagliari, Italy. 4 pages, 5 figures, LaTeX, uses ecrc.sty (included). v2: version to appear in Nucl. Phys. A (A few typos corrected, 2 refs. added and fig. 1(a) updated with the new STAR point

Cold nuclear matter effects on J/psi production: intrinsic and extrinsic transverse momentum effects

Cold nuclear matter effects on J/psi production in proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions are evaluated taking into account the specific J/psi production kinematics at the partonic level, the shadowing of the initial parton distributions and the absorption in the nuclear matter. We consider two different parton processes for the c-cbar pair production: one with collinear gluons and a recoiling gluon in the final state and the other with initial gluons carrying intrinsic transverse momentum. Our results are compared to RHIC observables. The smaller values of the nuclear modification factor R_AA in the forward rapidity region (with respect to the mid rapidity region) are partially explained, therefore potentially reducing the need for recombination effects.Comment: 7 pages, 11 figures, LaTeX, uses elsarticle.cls (included).v2: version (with minor text revisions and Fig 2 and 4a modified) to appear in Phys.Lett.

Single-Transverse-Spin-Asymmetry studies with a fixed-target experiment using the LHC beams (AFTER@LHC)

We discuss the potential of AFTER@LHC to measure single-transverse-spin asymmetries in open-charm and bottomonium production. With a HERMES-like hydrogen polarised target, such measurements over a year can reach precisions close to the per cent level. This is particularly remarkable since these analyses can probably not be carried out anywhere elsePeer Reviewe

Centrality, rapidity, and transverse-momentum dependence of gluon shadowing and antishadowing on J/ψJ/\psi production in ddAu collisions at s\sqrt{s}=200 GeV

We have carried out a wide study of shadowing and antishadowing effects on \jpsi\ production in \dAu\ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV. We have studied the effects of three different gluon nPDF sets, using the exact kinematics for a $2\to 2$ process, namely $g+g\to J/\psi+g$ as expected from LO pQCD. We have computed the rapidity dependence of \RCP\ and $R_{d\rm Au}$ for the different centrality classes of the PHENIX data. For mid rapidities, we have also computed the transverse-momentum dependence of the nuclear modification factor, which cannot be predicted with the usual $2\to 1$ simplified kinematics. All these observables have been compared to the PHENIX data in \dAu\ collisions.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures, talk given by N. Matagne at the conference "thirty years of hadronic physics", Spa, Belgium, April 6-8, 2011, to appear in Few Body System

New contributions to heavy-quarkonium production

We reconsider quarkonium production in a field-theoretical setting and we show that the lowest-order mechanism for heavy-quarkonium production receives in general contributions from two different cuts. The first one corresponds to the usual colour-singlet mechanism. The second one has not been considered so far. We treat it in a gauge-invariant manner, and introduce new 4-point vertices, suggestive of the colour-octet mechanism. These new objects enable us to go beyond the static approximation. We show that the contribution of the new cut can be as large as the usual colour-singlet mechanism at high transverse momentum for J/psi. In the psi' case, theoretical uncertainties are shown to be large and agreement with data is possible.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures, LaTeX. References updated, typo fixed, discussion of the scale dependence, minor corrections to the tex

Quarkonium as a tool: cold nuclear matter effects

We discuss the quarkonium production as a tool for the study of the Quark Gluon Plasma. In particular, we concentrate on the Cold Nuclear Matter effetcs. We show that quarkonium production is also useful for the study of Quantum Chromodynamics first principles and the nuclear Parton Distribution Functions.Comment: Contribution to the proceedings of QUARKONIUM 2010: Three Days Of Quarkonium Production in pp and pA Collisions, 29-31 July 2010, Palaiseau, France. 4 pages, 4 figure

On the mechanisms of heavy-quarkonium hadroproduction

We discuss the various mechanisms potentially at work in hadroproduction of heavy quarkonia in the light of computations of higher-order QCD corrections both in the Colour-Singlet (CS) and Colour-Octet (CO) channels and the inclusion of the contribution arising from the s-channel cut in the CS channel. We also discuss new observables meant to better discriminate between these different mechanisms.Comment: Invited review talk at 3rd International Conference On Hard And Electromagnetic Probes Of High-Energy Nuclear Collisions (HP2008), 8-14 June 2008, Illa da Toxa, Galicia, Spain. 11 pages, 21 figures, LaTeX, uses svjour.cls and svepj.clo (included