Production of leptoquark scalars in hadron colliders

Superstring-inspired E₆ models suggest the existence of scalar leptoquarks, \~{}D and { \~{}D}^c*, with fractional charge and color interactions. These particles can be produced in hadron collisions via their Yukawa couplings to a quark and an electron. We analyze the production of a single scalar leptoquark in future pp and pp colliders assuming various couplings and leptoquark masses. Soft-gluon corrections, namely, ^2 terms, are estimated. They lead to an enhancement of the cross section by a significant factor, as well as an increase in the signal-to-background ratio.