Measurement of the Z boson transverse momentum spectrum on ATLAS with early data

TL;DR

This paper presents a prospective analysis method for measuring the Z boson transverse momentum spectrum in early ATLAS data at 10 TeV, focusing on the dimuon channel and data-driven background removal techniques.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis strategy for Z boson pT spectrum measurement using simulated data, emphasizing background estimation methods for early LHC data.

Findings

Analysis framework established for early ATLAS data

Background removal techniques tailored for dimuon channel

Outlook for actual collision data measurement in 2009-10

Abstract

One of the benchmark analyses to be performed with the first data at the CERN Large Hadron Collider will be the measurement of the Z boson transverse momentum spectrum. In this article, I present a prospective analysis for this measurement in the dimuon channel on the ATLAS experiment. The analysis uses simulated datasets at a center-of-mass energy of 10 TeV. After summarizing the motivations for the measurement, I discuss the Z boson selection criteria, possible physics backgrounds, and background removal techniques with a focus on data-driven background determination. I conclude with an outlook toward the collision data expected in 2009-10.