Mueller-Navelet Jets at Hadron Colliders

We critically examine the definition of dijet cross sections at large rapidity intervals in hadron-hadron collisions, taking proper account of the various cuts applied in a realistic experimental setup. We argue that the dependence of the cross section on the precise definition of the parton momentum fractions and the presence of an upper bound on the momentum transfer cannot be neglected, and we provide the relevant modifications to the analytical formulae by Mueller and Navelet. We also point out that the choice of equal transverse momentum cuts on the tagging jets can spoil the possibility of a clean extraction of signals of BFKL physics