Complete electroweak two-loop corrections to Z boson production and decay

TL;DR

This paper completes the calculation of electroweak two-loop corrections to Z boson production and decay, providing precise theoretical predictions for Z observables within the Standard Model.

Contribution

It presents the last unknown bosonic electroweak two-loop contributions to Z boson observables, completing the full two-loop theoretical description within the Standard Model.

Findings

Numerical results for Z boson widths and cross-sections are provided.

Parameterization formulas for key observables are developed.

Theoretical uncertainties from higher orders are discussed.

Abstract

This article presents results for the last unknown two-loop contributions to the $Z$-boson partial widths and $Z$-peak cross-section. These are the so-called bosonic electroweak two-loop corrections, where "bosonic" refers to diagrams without closed fermion loops. Together with the corresponding results for the $Z$-pole asymmetries $A_l, A_b$, which have been presented earlier, this completes the theoretical description of $Z$-boson precision observables at full two-loop precision within the Standard Model. The calculation has been achieved through a combination of different methods: (a) numerical integration of Mellin-Barnes representations with contour rotations and contour shifts to improve convergence; (b) sector decomposition with numerical integration over Feynman parameters; (c) dispersion relations for sub-loop insertions. Numerical results are presented in the form of simple parameterization formulae for the total width, $\Gamma_{\rm Z}$, partial decay widths $\Gamma_{e,\mu},\Gamma_{\tau},\Gamma_{\nu},\Gamma_{u},\Gamma_{c},\Gamma_{d,s},\Gamma_{b}$, branching ratios $R_l,R_c,R_b$ and the hadronic peak cross-section, $\sigma_{\rm had}^0$. Theoretical intrinsic uncertainties from missing higher orders are also discussed.