The associated production of a W and a Z boson is studied in final states with multiple leptons produced in proton-proton (pp) collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV using 137 fb$^{-1}$ of data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. A measurement of the total inclusive production cross section yields $\sigma_{\text{tot}}$(pp $\to$ WZ) = 50.6 $\pm$ 0.8 (stat) $\pm$ 1.5 (syst) $\pm$ 1.1 (lumi) $\pm$ 0.5 (theo) pb. Measurements of the fiducial and differential cross sections for several key observables are also performed in all the final-state lepton flavour and charge compositions with a total of three charged leptons, which can be electrons or muons. All results are compared with theoretical predictions computed up to next-to-next-to-leading order in quantum chromodynamics plus next-to-leading order in electroweak theory and for various sets of parton distribution functions. The results include direct measurements of the charge asymmetry and the W and Z vector boson polarization. The first observation of longitudinally polarized W bosons in WZ production is reported. Anomalous gauge couplings are searched for, leading to new constraints on beyond-the-standard-model contributions to the WZ triple gauge coupling.
The production of W$^\pm$ bosons is studied in proton-lead (pPb) collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} =$ 8.16 TeV. Measurements are performed in the W$^\pm$ $\to$ $\mu^\pm\nu_\mu$ channel using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 173.4 $\pm$ 8.7 nb$^{-1}$, collected by the CMS Collaboration at the LHC. The number of positively and negatively charged W bosons is determined separately in the muon pseudorapidity region in the laboratory frame $|\eta^\mu_\mathrm{lab}|$ $<$ 2.4 and transverse momentum $p_\mathrm{T}^\mu$ $>$ 25 GeV/$c$. The W$^\pm$ boson differential cross sections, muon charge asymmetry, and the ratios of W$^\pm$ boson yields for the proton-going over the Pb-going beam directions are reported as a function of the muon pseudorapidity in the nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass frame. The measurements are compared to the predictions from theoretical calculations based on parton distribution functions (PDFs) at next-to-leading-order. The results favour PDF calculations that include nuclear modifications and provide constraints on the nuclear PDF global fits.
A measurement is presented of differential cross sections for $t$-channel single top quark and antiquark production in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV by the CMS experiment at the LHC. From a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$, events containing one muon or electron and two or three jets are analysed. The cross section is measured as a function of the top quark transverse momentum ($p_\mathrm{T}$), rapidity, and polarisation angle, the charged lepton $p_\mathrm{T}$ and rapidity, and the $p_\mathrm{T}$ of the W boson from the top quark decay. In addition, the charge ratio is measured differentially as a function of the top quark, charged lepton, and W boson kinematic observables. The results are found to be in agreement with standard model predictions using various next-to-leading-order event generators and sets of parton distribution functions. Additionally, the spin asymmetry, sensitive to the top quark polarisation, is determined from the differential distribution of the polarisation angle at parton level to be 0.440 $\pm$ 0.070, in agreement with the standard model prediction.
Angular distributions of the decay B$^+$$\to$ K$^*$(892)$^+\mu^+\mu^-$ are studied using events collected with the CMS detector in $\sqrt{s} =$ 8 TeV proton-proton collisions at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.0 fb$^{-1}$. The forward-backward asymmetry of the muons and the longitudinal polarization of the K$^*$(892)$^+$ meson are determined as a function of the square of the dimuon invariant mass. These are the first results from this exclusive decay mode and are in agreement with a standard model prediction.
A measurement of the forward-backward asymmetry of pairs of oppositely charged leptons (dimuons and dielectrons) produced by the Drell-Yan process in proton-proton collisions is presented. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$ collected with the CMS detector at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The asymmetry is measured as a function of lepton pair mass for masses larger than 170\GeV and compared with standard model predictions. An inclusive measurement across both channels and the full mass range yields an asymmetry of 0.599 $\pm$ 0.005 (stat) $\pm$ 0.007 (syst). As a test of lepton flavor universality, the difference between the dimuon and dielectron asymmetries is measured as well. No statistically significant deviations from standard model predictions are observed. The measurements are used to set limits on the presence of additional gauge bosons. For a Z' in the sequential standard model, a lower mass limit of 4.4 TeV is set at 95% confidence level.
Measurements of the muon charge asymmetry in inclusive pp to WX production at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV are presented. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 inverse femtobarns recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC. With a sample of more than twenty million W to mu nu events, the statistical precision is greatly improved in comparison to previous measurements. These new results provide additional constraints on the parton distribution functions of the proton in the range of the Bjorken scaling variable x from 10E-3 to 10E-1. These measurements and the recent CMS measurement of associated W + charm production are used together with the cross sections for inclusive deep inelastic ep scattering at HERA in a next-to-leading-order QCD analysis. The determination of the valence quark distributions is improved, and the strange-quark distribution is probed directly through the leading-order process g + s to W + c in proton-proton collisions at the LHC.
The first study of W boson production in pPb collisions is presented, for bosons decaying to a muon or electron, and a neutrino. The measurements are based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 34.6 inverse nanobarns at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s[NN]) = 5.02 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment. The W boson differential cross sections, lepton charge asymmetry, and forward-backward asymmetries are measured for leptons of transverse momentum exceeding 25 GeV, and as a function of the lepton pseudorapidity in the abs(eta[lab]) < 2.4 range. Deviations from the expectations based on currently available parton distribution functions are observed, showing the need for including W boson data in nuclear parton distribution global fits.
We present a measurement of the $W$ boson production charge asymmetry in $p\bar{p}\rightarrow W+X \rightarrow e\nu +X$ events at a center of mass energy of 1.96 TeV, using 9.7 fb$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The neutrino longitudinal momentum is determined using a neutrino weighting method, and the asymmetry is measured as a function of the $W$ boson rapidity. The measurement extends over wider electron pseudorapidity region than previous results, and is the most precise to date, allowing for precise determination of proton parton distribution functions in global fits.
We present a measurement of the muon charge asymmetry from the decay of the $W$ boson via W to mu nu using 7.3 fb^{-1} of integrated luminosity collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider at sqrt{s} = 1.96 TeV. The muon charge asymmetry is presented in two kinematic regions in muon transverse momentum and event missing transverse energy: (p^{\mu}_{T} > 25 GeV, \met > 25 GeV) and (p^{\mu}_{T} > 35 GeV, \met > 35 GeV). The measured asymmetries are compared with theory predictions made using three parton distribution function sets. The predictions do not describe the data well for p^{\mu}_{T} > 35 GeV, \met > 35 GeV, and larger values of muon pseudorapidity.
We present measurements of the forward-backward asymmetry in the angular distribution of leptons from decays of top quarks and antiquarks produced in proton-antiproton collisions. We consider the final state containing a lepton and at least three jets. The entire sample of data collected by the D0 experiment during Run II of the Fermilab Tevatron Collider, corresponding to 9.7 inverse fb of integrated luminosity, is used. The asymmetry measured for reconstructed leptons is $A_{FB}^l = \big(2.9 \pm 2.1(stat.) ^{+1.5}_{-1.7}(syst.) \big)$%. When corrected for efficiency and resolution effects within the lepton rapidity coverage of $|y_l|<1.5$, the asymmetry is found to be $A_{FB}^l = \big(4.2 \pm 2.3(stat.) ^{+1.7}_{-2.0}(syst.) \big)$%. Combination with the asymmetry measured in the dilepton final state yields $A_{FB}^l = \big(4.2 \pm 2.0(stat.) \pm 1.4(syst.) \big)$%. We examine the dependence of $A_{FB}^l$ on the transverse momentum and rapidity of the lepton. The results are in agreement with predictions from the next-to-leading-order QCD generator \mcatnlo, which predicts an asymmetry of $A_{FB}^l = 2.0$% for $|y_l|<1.5$.