ϒ(3S) and χb(3P) production and polarization in the NRQCD with kT–factorization

The ϒ(3S) production and polarization at high energies is studied in the framework of k_T–factorization approach. Our consideration is based on the non-relativistic QCD formalism for bound states formation and off-shell production amplitudes for hard partonic subprocesses. The transverse momentum dependent (TMD, or unintegrated) gluon densities in a proton were derived from the CiafaloniCatani-Fiorani-Marchesini (CCFM) evolution equation as well as from the Kimber–Martin–Ryskin (KMR) prescription. Treating the nonperturbative color octet transitions in terms of the mulitpole radiation theory and taking into account feed-down contributions from radiative χ_b(3P) decays, we extract the corresponding non-perturbative matrix elements for ϒ(3S) and χ_b(3P) mesons from a combined fit to ϒ(3S) transverse momenta distributions measured by the CMS and ATLAS Collaborations at the LHC energies √s = 7 and 13 TeV and central rapidities. Then we apply the extracted values to investigate the polarization parameters λ_θ, λ_φ and λ_θφ, which determine the ϒ(3S) spindensity matrix. Our predictions have a good agreement with the currently available data within the theoretical and experimental uncertainties.