Improving the equivalent-photon approximation in electron-positron collisions

The validity of the equivalent-photon approximation for two-photon processes in electron--positron collisions is critically examined. Commonly used forms to describe hadronic two-photon production are shown to lead to sizeable errors. An improved two-photon luminosity function is presented, which includes beyond-leading-logarithmic effects and scalar-photon contributions. Comparisons of various approximate expressions with the exact calculation in the case of the total hadronic cross section are given. Furthermore, effects of the poorly known low-Q2 behaviour of the virtual hadronic cross sections are discussed.