Generalized Distribution Amplitudes at the $Z$ pole

Abstract

We investigate the exclusive two-pion production at the $Z$-pole through the process $e^+e^-\to Z \to \pi\pi \gamma$. In the kinematical region where the invariant mass of the two pions is much smaller than the mass of the $Z$ boson, the process can be factorized into the convolution of a hard coefficient and a soft matrix element, the generalized distribution amplitude of two pions. We calculate the differential cross-section of charged pion pair production and neutral pion pair production and find the former to be much larger than the later. We show that combining the measurements of charged pion pair production and neutral pion pair production at the $Z$-pole provides a convenient approach to access the $C$-odd part of the $2\pi$ distribution amplitudes.