We apply the target rest frame formalism to $\mathrm{\text{photon}}+\mathrm{\text{heavy}}$ quark production cross section in hadronic collisions at high energies. We investigate the dependence of the production cross section on the photon and quark rapidities and transverse momenta. It is shown that the photon transverse momentum spectrum is a sensitive probe of color dipole scattering amplitude. The theoretical results are compared to Tevatron measurements of the differential $\gamma +c+X$ and $\gamma +b+X$ production cross sections at $\sqrt{s}=1.96\mathrm{TeV}$. An analysis for proton-proton and proton-lead collisions at the LHC regime is also performed.

• Received 22 October 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.82.094025