Measurement of angular correlations in Drell–Yan lepton pairs to probe Z/γ boson transverse momentum at √s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

ATLAS Collaboration

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58 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A measurement of angular correlations in Drell–Yan lepton pairs via the ϕη observable is presented. This variable probes the same physics as the Z/γ boson transverse momentum with a better experimental resolution. The Z/γ→e+e and Z/γ→μ+μ decays produced in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrts=7 TeV are used. The data were collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 fb−1. Normalised differential cross sections as a function of ϕη are measured separately for electron and muon decay channels. These channels are then combined for improved accuracy. The cross section is also measured double differentially as a function of ϕη for three independent bins of the Z boson rapidity. The results are compared to QCD calculations and to predictions from different Monte Carlo event generators. The data are reasonably well described, in all measured Z boson rapidity regions, by resummed QCD predictions combined with fixed-order perturbative QCD calculations or by some Monte Carlo event generators. The measurement precision is typically better by one order of magnitude than present theoretical uncertainties.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)32-51
Number of pages20
JournalPhysics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics
Volume720
Issue number1-3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Mar 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Differential cross section
  • Event generators
  • Monte Carlo models
  • Perturbative QCD
  • Z boson

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