Next-to-leading order QCD corrections to top quark spin correlations at hadron colliders: the reactions $g g \to t {\bar t} (g)$ and $g q ({\bar q}) \to t {\bar t} q ({\bar q})$

Paper

Abstract

We have computed the cross section for

production by gluon-gluon fusion at next-to-leading order (NLO) in the QCD coupling, keeping the full dependence on the

spins. Furthermore we have determined to the same order the spin dependent cross sections for the processes

. Together with our previous results for

these results allow for predictions, at NLO QCD, of the hadronic production of

pairs in a general spin configuration. As an application we have determined the degree of correlation of the

and

spins at NLO, using various spin quantisation axes.