NLO QCD and EW corrections to vector-boson scattering into W+W− at the LHC
Ansgar Denner, Robert Franken, Timo Schmidt, Christopher Schwan
Abstract
A bstract We present the full next-to-leading-order electroweak and QCD corrections to vector-boson scattering into a pair of off-shell opposite-sign W bosons decaying into leptons of different flavour at the LHC. We include full leading-order predictions for the irreducible background. Explicitly, we investigate the process pp → e + ν e μ − $$ \overline{\nu} $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mover> <mml:mi>ν</mml:mi> <mml:mo>¯</mml:mo> </mml:mover> </mml:math> μ jj + X at leading orders $$ \mathcal{O} $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mi>O</mml:mi> </mml:math> ( α 6 ), $$ \mathcal{O} $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mi>O</mml:mi> </mml:math> ( α s α 5 ), $$ \mathcal{O} $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mi>O</mml:mi> </mml:math> ( $$ {\alpha}_{\mathrm{s}}^2 $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mi>α</mml:mi> <mml:mi>s</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> α 4 ), supplemented by the loop-induced $$ \mathcal{O} $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mi>O</mml:mi> </mml:math> ( $$ {\alpha}_{\mathrm{s}}^4 $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mi>α</mml:mi> <mml:mi>s</mml:mi> <mml:mn>4</mml:mn> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> α 4 ) contribution, and at next-to-leading orders $$ \mathcal{O} $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mi>O</mml:mi> </mml:math> ( α 7 )and $$ \mathcal{O} $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mi>O</mml:mi> </mml:math> ( α s α 6 ) in two setups providing fiducial cross sections as well as differential distributions. We take full account of photon-induced next-to-leading-order contributions, which prove to be non negligible. With − 11 . 4% and − 6 . 7% in the two setups, the electroweak corrections are smaller than for other vector-boson-scattering processes. This can be traced back to the presence of the Higgs-boson resonance in the fiducial phase space, whose effects we analyse within an additional unphysical, but manifestly gauge-invariant setup. The QCD corrections amount to − 5 . 1% and − 21 . 6% in the two setups. The large size of the latter correction, compared to other vector-boson scattering processes, is explained by a very restrictive definition of its fiducial phase space.