Introduction to the NRQCD Factorization Approach to Heavy Quarkonium

Abstract

I present an introduction to the NRQCD factorization method for calculating annihilation rates and inclusive production rates for heavy quarkonium. Using this method, annihilation decay rates and sufficiently inclusive cross sections are factored into long-distance NRQCD matrix elements and perturbative short-distance coefficients. I derive the velocity-scaling rules that are used to estimate the magnitudes of the nonperturbative NRQCD matrix elements and I describe perturbative matching methods for calculating their short-distance coefficients. Some simple applications for which NRQCD factorization methods have dramatic implications are discussed.