Next-to-leading order QCD corrections to spin-dependent hadron-pair photoproduction

Abstract

We compute the next-to-leading order QCD corrections to the ``direct'' part of the spin-dependent cross section for hadron-pair photoproduction. The calculation is performed using largely analytical methods. We present a brief phenomenological study of our results focussing on the $K$-factors and scale dependence of the next-to-leading order cross sections. This process is relevant for the extraction of the gluon polarization in present and future spin-dependent lepton-nucleon scattering experiments.