Search for intrinsic charm in vector boson production accompanied by heavy flavor jets

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential to detect intrinsic charm in the proton through vector boson production with heavy flavor jets at the LHC, proposing a ratio of cross sections as a sensitive measure.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method using the ratio of Z to W plus heavy jet cross sections to probe the intrinsic charm component in the proton.

Findings

The proposed ratio enhances sensitivity to intrinsic charm effects.

Theoretical analysis suggests measurable differences in the ratio with intrinsic charm presence.

The approach offers a promising avenue for experimental verification at the LHC.

Abstract

Up to now, the existence of intrinsic (or valence-like) heavy quark component of the proton distribution functions has not yet been confirmed or rejected. The LHC with pp-collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7-13 TeV can supply us with extra unique information concerning this hypothesis. On the basis of our theoretical studies, it is demonstrated that investigations of the intrinsic heavy quark contributions look very promising in processes like $pp \rightarrow Z/W + c(b) + X$. A ratio of $Z+$ heavy jets over $W+$ heavy jets differential cross section as a function of the leading jet transverse momentum is proposed to maximize the sensitivity to the intrinsic charm component of the proton.