Three-loop polarization function and O(αs2) corrections to the production of heavy quarks Original Research Article

The three-loop vacuum polarization function Π(q2) induced by a massive quark is calculated. A comprehensive description of the method is presented. From the imaginary part the O(αs2) result for the production of heavy quarks R(s) = σ(e+e− → hadrons)/σ(e+e− → μ+μ−) can be extracted. Explicit formulae separated into the different colour factors are given.