QCD Corrections to $\gamma \gamma \to ZZ$ at Small Scattering Angles

Abstract

QCD corrections to the electroweak cross section of $\gamma \gamma \to ZZ$ at high energies and small scattering angles have been calculated. The dominant contributions are due to $t$-channel gluon exchange, i.e. photons dissociate into quark-antiquark pairs giving rise to two colour dipoles which interact through gluons. Corrections resulting from the leading log BFKL amplitude are of the order of a few percent close to the forward region already at the 1 TeV energy range and are rising with the scattering energy. We also considered the helicity non-conserving cases in which the QCD corrections in comparison to the electroweak part of the amplitude strongly grow with energy. The helicity non-conserving scattering process is of particular interest since it is sensitive to the Higgs sector.

Comments: 9 Pages, 4 Figures