Inclusive production of a pair of identified, rapidity-separated hadrons in proton collisions

Abstract

We consider the inclusive process where a pair of identified hadrons having large transverse momenta is produced in high-energy proton-proton collisions. We concentrate on the kinematics where the two identified hadrons in the final state are separated by a large interval of rapidity. In this case the cross section receives large higher-order corrections, which can be resummed in the BFKL approach. We provide a theoretical input for the resummation of such contributions with next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy. This process has much in common with the widely discussed Mueller-Navelet jets production and can be also used to access the BFKL dynamics at proton colliders.