NLO+NLL limits on $W'$ and $Z'$ gauge boson masses

TL;DR

This paper presents advanced QCD resummation predictions for $W'$ and $Z'$ boson production, compares them with existing tools, and derives new mass limits from recent collider data.

Contribution

It introduces NLO+NLL resummation calculations for heavy gauge boson production and applies these to reinterpret collider results for new mass constraints.

Findings

Resummation effects grow with gauge boson mass.

NLO+NLL predictions differ from PYTHIA and FEWZ results.

New mass limits are set using the latest ATLAS and CMS data.

Abstract

QCD resummation predictions for the production of new charged ($W'$) and neutral ($Z'$) heavy gauge bosons decaying leptonically are presented. These results are obtained with our resummation code at next-to-leading order and next-to-leading logarithmic (NLO+NLL) accuracy. Our predictions are compared to PYTHIA at leading order (LO) supplemented with parton showers (PS) and FEWZ at NLO and next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) for the $p_T$-differential and total cross sections in the Sequential Standard Model (SSM) and general SU(2)$\times$SU(2)$\times$U(1) models. We show that the importance of resummation for total cross sections increases with the gauge boson mass. Finally, the latest ATLAS and CMS results are reinterpreted to derive new limits at NLO+NLL on $W'$ and $Z'$ boson masses in general extensions of the Standard Model.