Improved estimates of the pion-photon transition form factor in the $(\mathbf{1\leq Q^2\leq5})$~GeV$^\mathbf{2}$ range and their theoretical uncertainties

Abstract

We consider the pion-photon transition form factor at low to intermediate spacelike momenta within the theoretical framework of light-cone sum rules. We derive predictions which take into account all currently known contributions stemming from QCD perturbation theory up to the next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) and by including all twist terms up to order six. In order to enable a more detailed comparison with forthcoming high-precision data, we also estimate the main systematic theoretical uncertainties, stemming from various sources, and discuss their influence on the calculations --- in particular the dominant one related to the still uncalculated part of the NNLO contribution. The analysis addresses, in broad terms, also the role of the twist-two pion distribution amplitude derived with different approaches.