NLO corrections to the polarized Drell-Yan cross section in proton-proton collisions

Abstract

We present the full next-to-leading order (NLO) corrected inclusive cross section for massive lepton pair production in longitudinally polarized proton-proton collisions. All QCD partonic subprocesses have been included provided the lepton pair is created by a virtual photon, which is a valid approximation for $Q<50 {\rm GeV}$. Like in unpolarized proton-proton scattering the dominant subprocess is given by the $q(\bar q)g$-channel so that massive lepton pair production provides us with an excellent method to measure the spin density of the gluon. Using our calculations we give predictions for the longitudinal spin asymmetry measurements at the RHIC.