Electroweak double logarithms in inclusive observables for a generic initial state

Abstract

High energy observables are characterized by large electroweak radiative corrections of infrared origin; double logarithms are present even for inclusive cross sections, thus violating the Bloch Nordsieck theorem. This effect, related to the initial states carrying nonabelian isospin charges, is here investigated for {\sl any} inclusive cross section in the SU(2)$\otimes$U(1) symmetric limit, that is appropriate for energies much higher than the weak scale. We develop a general formalism allowing to calculate the all order double log resummed cross sections once the hard (tree level) ones are known. The relevant cases of fermion-fermion, fermion-boson and boson-boson scattering are discussed.

Comments: 6 pages, 2 figures