Measurement of W boson polarisations and CP-violating triple gauge couplings from W+W- production at LEP

TL;DR

This paper reports measurements of W boson polarization states and searches for CP-violating gauge couplings in W+W- production at LEP, finding results consistent with the Standard Model.

Contribution

First measurement of W boson polarization fractions and CP-violating gauge couplings in W+W- production at LEP using spin density matrix analysis.

Findings

W bosons are predominantly transversely polarized with a fraction of 78.1%.

CP-violating coupling parameters are consistent with zero within uncertainties.

Results align with Standard Model predictions.

Abstract

Measurements are presented of the polarisation of W+W- boson pairs produced in e+e- collisions, and of CP-violating WWZ and WWGamma trilinear gauge couplings. The data were recorded by the OPAL experiment at LEP during 1998, where a total integrated luminosity of 183 pb^-1 was obtained at a centre-of-mass energy of 189 GeV. The measurements are performed through a spin density matrix analysis of the W boson decay products. The fraction of W bosons produced with longitudinal polarisation was found to be sigma_L/sigma_total = (21.0 +- 3.3 +- 1.6)% where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. The joint W boson pair production fractions were found to be sigma_TT/sigma_total = (78.1 +- 9.0 +- 3.2) %, sigma_LL/sigma_total = (20.1 +- 7.2 +- 1.8) % and sigma_TL/sigma_total = (1.8 +- 14.7 +- 3.8) %. In the CP-violating trilinear gauge coupling sector we find kappa_z = -0.20 +0.10 -0.07, g^z_4 = -0.02 +0.32 -0.33 and lambda_z = -0.18 +0.24 -0.16, where errors include both statistical and systematic uncertainties. In each case the coupling is determined with all other couplings set to their Standard Model values except those related to the measured coupling via SU(2)_LxU(1)_Y symmetry. These results are consistent with Standard Model expectations.