A calculation of the three-loop helicity-dependent splitting functions in QCD

We have calculated the complete matrix of three-loop helicity-difference (`polarized') splitting functions Delta P_ik^(2), i,k = q,g, in massless perturbative QCD. In this note we briefly discuss some properties of the polarized splitting functions and our non-standard determination of the hitherto missing lower-row quantities Delta P_gq^(2) and Delta P_gg^(2). The resulting next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) corrections to the evolution of polarized parton distributions are illustrated and found to be small even at rather large values of the strong coupling constant alpha_s.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX (PoS style), 4 eps-figures. Proceedings of `Loops & Legs 2014', Weimar (Germany), April/May 201

The Three-Loop Splitting Functions in QCD: The Helicity-Dependent Case

We present the next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) contributions to the main splitting functions for the evolution of longitudinally polarized parton densities of hadrons in perturbative QCD. The quark-quark and gluon-quark splitting functions have been obtained by extending our previous all Mellin-N calculations to the structure function g_1 in electromagnetic deep-inelastic scattering (DIS). Their quark-gluon and gluon-gluon counterparts have been derived using third-order fixed-N calculations of structure functions in graviton-exchange DIS, relations to the unpolarized case and mathematical tools for systems of Diophantine equations. The NNLO corrections to the splitting functions are small outside the region of small momentum fractions x where they exhibit a large double-logarithmic enhancement, yet the corrections to the evolution of the parton densities can be unproblematic down to at least x about 10^{-4}.Comment: 52 pages, Latex, 10 figures. FORM and Fortran files of the main results available with the sourc

The Quark Form Factor at Higher Orders

We study the electromagnetic on-shell form factor of quarks in massless perturbative QCD. We derive the complete pole part in dimensional regularization at three loops, and extend the resummation of the form factor to the next-to-next-to-leading contributions. These results are employed to evaluate the infrared finite absolute ratio of the time-like and space-like form factors up to the fourth order in the strong coupling constant. Besides for the pole structure of higher-loop QCD amplitudes, our new contributions to the form factor are also relevant for the high-energy limit of massive gauge theories like QED. The highest-transcendentality component of our results confirms a result recently obtained in N=4 Super-Yang-Mills theory.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure, Late

First results for three-loop deep-inelastic structure functions in QCD

As a first step towards the complete calculation of deep-inelastic scattering at third order of massless perturbative QCD, we have computed the fermionic (nf) contributions to the flavour non-singlet structure functions in unpolarized electromagnetic scattering. We briefly discuss the approach chosen for this calculation, the problems we encountered and the status of the project. We show the results for the corresponding anomalous dimension in both Mellin-N and Bjorken-x. Together with the nf part of A_3, our calculation facilitates the complete determination of the threshold-resummation coefficients B_2 and D_2^DIS. The latter quantity vanishes in the MSbar scheme.Comment: 5 pages, LaTeX. Talk given at RADCOR02, Kloster Ban

On gamma_5 in higher-order QCD calculations and the NNLO evolution of the polarized valence distribution

We discuss the prescription for the Dirac matrix gamma_5 in dimensional regularization used in most second- and third-order QCD calculations of collider cross sections. We provide an alternative implementation of this approach that avoids the use of an explicit form of gamma_5 and of its (anti-) commutation relations in the most important case of no more than one gamma_5 in each fermion trace. This treatment is checked by computing the third-order corrections to the structure functions F_2 and g_1 in charged-current deep-inelastic scattering with axial-vector couplings to the W-bosons. We derive the so far unknown third-order helicity-difference splitting function Delta P_ns^(2)s that contributes to the next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) evolution of the polarized valence quark distribution of the nucleon. This function is negligible at momentum fractions x >~ 0.3 but relevant at x << 1.Comment: 11 pages, Latex, 2 figures. FORM and Fortran files of the main results available with the sourc

Non-singlet coefficient functions for charged-current deep-inelastic scattering to the third order in QCD

We have calculated the coefficient functions for the structure functions F_2, F_L and F_3 in nu-nubar charged-current deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) at the third order in the strong coupling alpha_s, thus completing the description of unpolarized inclusive W^(+-) exchange DIS to this order of massless perturbative QCD. In this brief note, our new results are presented in terms of compact approximate expressions that are sufficiently accurate for phenomenological analyses. For the benefit of such analyses we also collect, in a unified notation, the corresponding lower-order contributions and the flavour non-singlet coefficient functions for nu+nubar charged-current DIS. The behaviour of all six third-order coefficient functions at small Bjorken-x is briefly discussed.Comment: 6 pages, LaTeX (PoS style), 1 eps-figure. Fortran files of the main results available with the source. To appear in the proceedings of `DIS 2016', DESY, Hamburg (Germany), April 201

Four-loop results on anomalous dimensions and splitting functions in QCD

We report on recent progress on the flavour non-singlet splitting functions in perturbative QCD. The~exact four-loop (N^3LO) contribution to these functions has been obtained in the planar limit of a large number of colours. Phenomenologically sufficient approximate expressions have been obtained for the parts not exactly known so far. Both cases include results for the four-loop cusp and virtual anomalous dimensions which are relevant well beyond the evolution of non-singlet quark distributions, for which an accuracy of (well) below 1% has now been been reached.Comment: 11 pages, LaTeX (PoS style), 4 eps-figures. Contribution to the proceedings of `RADCOR 2017', St. Gilgen (Austria), September 201

Anomalous dimensions and splitting functions beyond the next-to-next-to-leading order

We report on recent progress on the splitting functions for the evolution of parton distributions and related quantities, the (lightlike) cusp anomalous dimensions, in perturbative QCD. New results are presented for the four-loop (next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order, N^3LO) contributions to the flavour-singlet splitting functions and the gluon cusp anomalous dimension. We present first results, the moments N=2 and N=3, for the five-loop (N^4LO) non-singlet splitting functions.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX (PoS style), 3 eps-figures. Contribution to the proceedings of `Loops & Legs 2018', St. Goar (Germany), April/May 201

Resummed small-x and first-moment evolution of fragmentation functions in perturbative QCD

We study the splitting functions for the evolution of fragmentation distributions and the coefficient functions for single-hadron production in semi-inclusive electron-positron annihilation in massless perturbative QCD for small values of the momentum fraction and scaling variable x, where their fixed-order approximations are completely destabilized by huge double logarithms of the form alpha_s^n 1/x ln^(2n-a) x. Complete analytic all-order expressions in Mellin-N space are presented for the resummation of these terms at the next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy. The poles for the first moments, related to the evolution of hadron multiplicities, and the small-x instabilities of the next-to-leading order splitting and coefficient functions are removed by this resummation, which leads to an oscillatory small-x behaviour and functions that can be used at N=1 and down to extremely small values of x. First steps are presented towards extending these results to the higher accuracy required for an all-x combination with the state-of-the-art next-to-next-to-leading order large-x results.Comment: 21 pages, LaTeX, 4 figures (.eps). FORM file of main results included in sourc