We present the first measurement of the electron angular distribution parameter alpha_2 in W to e nu events produced in proton-antiproton collisions as a function of the W boson transverse momentum. Our analysis is based on data collected using the D0 detector during the 1994--1995 Fermilab Tevatron run. We compare our results with next-to-leading order perturbative QCD, which predicts an angular distribution of (1 +/- alpha_1 cos theta* + alpha_2 cos^2 theta*), where theta* is the polar angle of the electron in the Collins-Soper frame. In the presence of QCD corrections, the parameters alpha_1 and alpha_2 become functions of p_T^W, the W boson transverse momentum. This measurement provides a test of next-to-leading order QCD corrections which are a non-negligible contribution to the W boson mass measurement.
The D0 collaboration has performed a study of spin correlation in tt-bar production for the process tt-bar to bb-bar W^+W^-, where the W bosons decay to e-nu or mu-nu. A sample of six events was collected during an exposure of the D0 detector to an integrated luminosity of approximately 125 pb^-1 of sqrt{s}=1.8 TeV pp-bar collisions. The standard model (SM) predicts that the short lifetime of the top quark ensures the transmission of any spin information at production to the tt-bar decay products. The degree of spin correlation is characterized by a correlation coefficient k. We find that k>-0.25 at the 68% confidence level, in agreement with the SM prediction of k=0.88.
We present a measurement of the electron 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 data corresponding to 9.7~fb$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The asymmetry is measured as a function of the electron pseudorapidity and is presented in five kinematic bins based on the electron transverse energy and the missing transverse energy in the event. The measured asymmetry is compared with next-to-leading-order predictions in perturbative quantum chromodynamics and provides accurate information for the determination of parton distribution functions of the proton. This is the most precise lepton charge asymmetry measurement to date.
We measure the forward-backward asymmetry in the production of $\Lambda_b^0$ and $\overline \Lambda_b^0$ baryons as a function of rapidity in $p \overline p $ collisions at $\sqrt s =1.96$ TeV using $10.4$ fb$^{-1}$ of data collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. The asymmetry is determined by the preference of $\Lambda_b^0$ or $\overline \Lambda_b^0$ particles to be produced in the direction of the beam protons or antiprotons, respectively. The measured asymmetry integrated over rapidity $y$ in the range $0.1<|y|<2$ is $A=0.04 \pm 0.07 {\rm (stat)} \pm 0.02 {\rm (syst)}$.
An analysis of the decay $\Lambda_b \to J/\psi(\to\mu^+\mu^-)\Lambda(\to p \pi^-)$ decay is performed to measure the $\Lambda_b$ polarization and three angular parameters in data from pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 7 and 8 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The $\Lambda_b$ polarization is measured to be 0.00 $\pm$ 0.06 (stat) $\pm$ 0.06 (syst) and the parity-violating asymmetry parameter is determined to be 0.14 $\pm$ 0.14 (stat) $\pm$ 0.10 (syst). The measurements are compared to various theoretical predictions, including those from perturbative quantum chromodynamics.
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.
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.
The charge asymmetry in the production of top quark and antiquark pairs is measured in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.6 inverse femtobarns, were collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. Events with a single isolated electron or muon, and four or more jets, at least one of which is likely to have originated from hadronization of a bottom quark, are selected. A template technique is used to measure the asymmetry in the distribution of differences in the top quark and antiquark absolute rapidities. The measured asymmetry is A[c,y] = [0.33 +/- 0.26 (stat) +/- 0.33 (syst)]%, which is the most precise result to date. The results are compared to calculations based on the standard model and on several beyond-the-standard-model scenarios.
The differential cross section and charge asymmetry for inclusive W boson production at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV is measured for the two transverse polarization states as a function of the W boson absolute rapidity. The measurement uses events in which a W boson decays to a neutrino and either a muon or an electron. The data sample of proton-proton collisions recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2016 corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The differential cross section and its value normalized to the total inclusive W boson production cross section are measured over the rapidity range $|y_\mathrm{W}|$ $\lt$ 2.5. In addition to the total fiducial cross section, the W boson double-differential cross section, d$^2\sigma$/d$p^\ell_\mathrm{T}$d$|\eta|$ and the charge asymmetry are measured as functions of the charged lepton transverse momentum and pseudorapidity. The precision of these measurements is used to constrain the parton distribution functions of the proton using the next-to-leading order NNPDF3.0 set.
The t t-bar charge asymmetry in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV is measured using the dilepton decay channel (ee, e mu, or mu mu). The data correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 5.0 inverse femtobarns, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The t t-bar and lepton charge asymmetries, defined as the differences in absolute values of the rapidities between the reconstructed top quarks and antiquarks and of the pseudorapidities between the positive and negative leptons, respectively, are measured to be Ac = -0.010 +/- 0.017 (stat.) +/- 0.008 (syst.) and Ac[lep] = 0.009 +/- 0.010 (stat.) +/- 0.006 (syst). The lepton charge asymmetry is also measured as a function of the invariant mass, rapidity, and transverse momentum of the t t-bar system. All measurements are consistent with the expectations of the standard model.