Two-loop QCD corrections to massless identical quark scattering.

Abstract

We present the two-loop virtual QCD corrections to the scattering of identical massless quarks, q ¯ q → q ¯q, in conventional dimensional regularisation and using the MS scheme. The structure of the infrared divergences agrees with that predicted by Catani while expressions for the finite remainder are given for the q ¯ q →q ¯ q and the qq →qq ( ¯q ¯q → ¯q ¯q) scattering processes in terms of polylogarithms. The results presented here form a vital part of the next-to-next-to-leading order contribution to inclusive jet production in hadron colliders and will play a crucial role in improving the theoretical prediction for jet cross sections in hadron–hadron collisions.