The W_L W_L scattering at the LHC: improving the selection criteria

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new kinematic variable to better isolate longitudinal W boson scattering in same-sign WW production at the LHC, enhancing the potential to study electroweak symmetry breaking with current data.

Contribution

A novel kinematic variable is proposed to improve the selection of W_L W_L scattering events in same-sign WW production at the LHC.

Findings

The new variable significantly improves detection sensitivity in same-sign WW channels.

It is less effective for opposite-sign WW channels due to background differences.

The method enhances LHC's ability to investigate electroweak symmetry breaking.

Abstract

We present a systematic study of the different mechanisms leading to WW pair production at the LHC, both in the same-sign and opposite-sign channels, and we emphasize that the former offers much better potential for investigating non-resonant W_L W_L scattering. We propose a new kinematic variable to isolate the W_L W_L scattering component in same-sign WW production at the LHC. Focusing on purely leptonic W decay channels, we show that it considerably improves the LHC capabilities to shed light on the electroweak symmetry breaking mechanism after collecting 100 fb^{-1} of data at sqrt{s} = 14 TeV. The new variable is less effective in the opposite-sign WW channel due to different background composition.