$WZ$ Production at Hadron Colliders: Effects of Non-Standard $WWZ$ Couplings and QCD Corrections

Abstract

The process $p\,\pbar \rightarrow W^{\pm}Z + X \rightarrow \ell^\pm_1 ν_1 \ell_2^+ \ell_2^- + X$ is calculated to $\mathcal{O}(\hat{I}{\pm }_s)$ for general $C$ and $P$ conserving $WWZ$ couplings. At the Tevatron center of mass energy, the QCD corrections to $WZ$ production are modest. At Large Hadron Collider (LHC) energies, the inclusive QCD corrections are large, but can be reduced significantly if a jet veto is imposed. Sensitivity limits for the anomalous $WWZ$ couplings are derived from the next-to-leading order $Z$ boson transverse momentum distribution for Tevatron and LHC energies. Unless a jet veto is imposed, next-to-leading order QCD corrections decrease the sensitivity to anomalous $WWZ$ couplings considerably at LHC energies, but have little influence at the Tevatron. We also study, at next-to-leading order, rapidity correlations between the $W$ and $Z$ decay products, and the $ZZ/WZ$ and $WZ/W{\hat{I}}^3$ cross section ratios. These quantities are found to be useful tools in searching for the approximate zero present in the Standard Model $WZ$ helicity amplitudes. The prospects for observing the approximate amplitude zero at the Tevatron and the LHC are critically assessed.

REVTEX3 file, 51 pages, 21 figures (postscript files) can be obtained via anonymous ftp://ucdhep.ucdavis.edu/anonymous/ohnemus/ucd-94-22