Inclusive prompt χc,b(1++) production at the LHC

We study the prompt production of the χc(1+) and χb(1+) mesons at high energies. Unlike χ(0+,2+) production, χ(1+) mesons cannot be created at LO via the fusion of two on-mass-shell gluons, that is, gg→χc,b(1+) are not allowed. However, the available experimental data show that the cross sections for χc(1+) and χc(2+) are comparable. We therefore investigate four other χ(1+) production mechanisms: namely, (i) the standard NLO process gg→χc,b(1+)+g , (ii) via gluon virtuality, (iii) via gluon reggeisation and, finally, (iv) the possibility to form χc,b(1+) by the fusion of three gluons, where one extra gluon comes from another parton cascade, as in the Double Parton Scattering processes.