Parton-parton scattering at two-loops

Abstract

We present an algorithm for the calculation of scalar and tensor one- and two-loop integrals that contribute to the virtual corrections of 2 →2 partonic scattering. First, the tensor integrals are related to scalar integrals that contain an irreducible propagator-like structure in the numerator. Then, we use Integration by Parts and Lorentz Invariance recurrence relations to build a general system of equations that enables the reduction of any scalar integral (with and without structure in the numerator) to a basis set of master integrals. Their expansions in e = 2-D/2 have already been calculated and we present a summary of the techniques that have been used to this end, as well as a compilation of the expansions we need in the different physical regions. We then apply this algorithm to the direct evaluation of the Feynman diagrams contributing to the O(α4/8) one- and two-loop matrix-elements for massless like and unlike quark-quark, quark-gluon and gluon-gluon scattering. The analytic expressions we provide are regularised in Convensional Dimensional Regularisation and renormalised in the MS scheme. Finally, we show that the structure of the infrared divergences agrees with that predicted by the application of Catani's formalism to the analysis of each partonic scattering process. The results presented in this thesis provide the complete calculation of the one- and two-loop matrix-elements for 2 2 processes needed for the next-to-next-to-leading order contribution to inclusive jet production at hadron colliders.