Drell-Yan forward-backward and spin asymmetries for arbitrary vector boson production at next-to-leading order

Longitudinally polarized, unpolarized and forward-backward mass differential cross sections for Drell-Yan lepton-pair production by arbitrary vector bosons are calculated in next-to-leading order (NLO) QCD. Analytical results are presented in a form valid for all consistent $n$-dimensional regularization schemes, with the mass factorization scheme kept general. NLO predictions for all Drell-Yan type processes ($W^\pm$, $Z$ and $\gamma^*$) at BNL's relativistic heavy ion collider (RHIC) are made using polarized parton distributions which fit the recent deep-inelastic scattering data. These are examined as tools in the determination of the polarized parton distributions and the unpolarized $\bar{u}/\bar{d}$ ratio. NLO predictions for the forward-backward lepton asymmetry at Fermilab are made and the precision determination of $\sin^2 \theta_W$ from future runs is studied. In all the above, the QCD corrections are found to be significant. An introductory discussion is given of various theoretical issues, such as allowable factorization and regularization schemes, and scale dependences.