QCD analysis of the ATLAS and CMS $W^{\pm}$ and $Z$ cross-section measurements and implications for the strange sea density

TL;DR

This paper performs a combined QCD analysis of ATLAS and CMS measurements of W and Z boson production to investigate data consistency and determine the strange sea quark density within a NNLO parton distribution function framework.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive QCD analysis combining ATLAS and CMS data to assess tensions and extract the strange sea fraction at NNLO accuracy.

Findings

Identifies compatibility or tension between ATLAS and CMS data sets.

Provides a new estimate of the strange sea quark density.

Enhances understanding of parton distribution functions in proton structure.

Abstract

In the present paper, the ATLAS inclusive $W^{\pm}$ and $Z$ boson production data are analysed together with the CMS inclusive $W^{\pm}$ and $Z$ boson production data to investigate any possible tensions between the data sets and to determine the strange sea fraction, within the framework of a parton distribution function fit at next-to-next-to leading order in perturbative QCD.