Two-loop corrections to Higgs boson production

In this paper we present the complete two-loop vertex corrections to scalar and pseudo-scalar Higgs boson production for general colour factors for the gauge group SU(N) in the limit where the top quark mass gets infinite. We derive a general formula for the vertex correction which holds for conserved and non-conserved operators. For the conserved operator we take the electromagnetic vertex correction as an example whereas for the non-conserved operators we take the two vertex corrections above. Our observations for the structure of the pole terms 1/epsilon(4), 1/epsilon(3) and 1/epsilon(2) in two loop order are the same as made earlier in the literature for electromagnetism. However, we also elucidate the origin of the second order single pole term which is equal to the second order singular part of the anomalous dimension plus a universal function which is the same for the quark and the gluon. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.