Fragmentation of ω and ϕ mesons in e+e− and pp collisions at NLO

Abstract

A combined analysis of both [Formula: see text] (LEP, SLD) and [Formula: see text] (RHIC-PHENIX and LHC-ALICE) hadroproduction processes are done for the first time for the vector meson nonet at the next-to-leading order (NLO) using a model with broken SU(3) symmetry. The transverse momentum ([Formula: see text]) and rapidity ([Formula: see text]) dependence of the differential cross-section for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] mesons of the [Formula: see text] data are also discussed. The input universal quark (valence and singlet) fragmentation functions at a starting scale of [Formula: see text], after evolution, have values that are consistent with the earlier analysis for [Formula: see text] at NLO. However, the universal gluon fragmentation function is now well determined from this study with significantly smaller error bars, as the [Formula: see text] hadroproduction cross-section is particularly sensitive to the gluon fragmentation since it occurs at the same order as the quark fragmentation, in contrast to the [Formula: see text] hadroproduction process. Additional parameters involved in describing the strangeness and sea suppression and octet–singlet mixing are found to be close to the earlier analysis; in addition, a new relation between the gluon and sea suppression in [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] hadroproduction has been observed.