First look at the evaluation of two-loop Feynman integrals for radiative return processes

Abstract

Precision studies of radiative return processes at low-energy electron--positron colliders require next-to-next-to-leading order QED predictions retaining full dependence on the electron mass. We present the calculation of planar two-loop four-point Feynman integrals relevant for initial-state radiation contributions to these processes. The calculation presents considerable analytical complexity, due to the presence of a nested square root and of integrals associated with elliptic geometries. We construct differential equations for the Feynman integrals which are polynomial in the dimensional regulator, and are suitable for numerical integration. We demonstrate stable numerical evaluations throughout the physical region relevant for low-energy experiments, despite the presence of large hierarchies of scales. Our results provide essential building blocks for NNLO predictions for radiative return processes.