We calculate the classical single-gluon production amplitude in nucleus-nucleus collisions including the first saturation correction in one of the nuclei (the projectile) while keeping multiple-rescattering (saturation) corrections to all orders in t
he other nucleus (the target). In our approximation only two nucleons interact in the projectile nucleus: the single-gluon production amplitude we calculate is order-g^3 and is leading-order in the atomic number of the projectile, while resumming all order-one saturation corrections in the target nucleus. Our result is the first step towards obtaining an analytic expression for the first projectile saturation correction to the gluon production cross section in nucleus-nucleus collisions.
We obtain a simple analytic expression for the high energy $gamma^* gamma^*$ scattering cross section at the next-to-leading order in the logarithms-of-energy power counting. To this end we employ the eigenfunctions of the NLO BFKL equation construct
ed in our previous paper. We also construct the eigenfunctions of the NNLO BFKL kernel and obtain a general form of the solution for the NNLO BFKL equation, which confirms the ansatz proposed in our previous paper.
At high energies particles move very fast so the proper degrees of freedom for the fast gluons moving along the straight lines are Wilson-line operators - infinite gauge factors ordered along the line. In the framework of operator expansion in Wilson
lines the energy dependence of the amplitudes is determined by the rapidity evolution of Wilson lines. We present the next-to-leading order hierarchy of the evolution equations for Wilson-line operators.
We derive the solution of the NLO BFKL equation by constructing its eigenfunctions perturbatively, using an expansion around the LO BFKL (conformal) eigenfunctions. This method can be used to construct a solution of the BFKL equation with the kernel
calculated to an arbitrary order in the coupling constant.
The photon impact factor for the BFKL pomeron is calculated in the next-to-leading order (NLO) approximation using the operator expansion in Wilson lines. The result is represented as a NLO $k_T$-factorization formula for the structure functions of small-$x$ deep inelastic scattering.
We calculate inclusive hadron productions in pA collisions in the small-x saturation formalism at one-loop order. The differential cross section is written into a factorization form in the coordinate space at the next-to-leading order, while the naiv
e form of the convolution in the transverse momentum space does not hold. The rapidity divergence with small-x dipole gluon distribution of the nucleus is factorized into the energy evolution of the dipole gluon distribution function, which is known as the Balitsky-Kovchegov equation. Furthermore, the collinear divergences associated with the incoming parton distribution of the nucleon and the outgoing fragmentation function of the final state hadron are factorized into the splittings of the associated parton distribution and fragmentation functions, which allows us to reproduce the well-known DGLAP equation. The hard coefficient function, which is finite and free of divergence of any kind, is evaluated at one-loop order.
We demonstrate the QCD factorization for inclusive hadron production in $pA$ collisions in the saturation formalism at one-loop order, with explicit calculation of both real and virtual gluon radiation diagrams. The collinear divergences associated w
ith the incoming parton distribution of the nucleon and the outgoing fragmentation function of the final state hadron, as well as the rapidity divergence with small-$x$ dipole gluon distribution of the nucleus are factorized into the splittings of the associated parton distribution and fragmentation functions and the energy evolution of the dipole gluon distribution function. The hard coefficient function is evaluated at one-loop order, and contains no divergence.
An analytic coordinate-space expression for the next-to-leading order photon impact factor for small-$x$ deep inelastic scattering is calculated using the operator expansion in Wilson lines.
