Measurement of the $WZ$ Cross Section and Triple Gauge Couplings in $p \bar p$ Collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 1.96$ TeV

Journal article

This Letter describes the current most precise measurement of the $WZ$ production cross section as well as limits on anomalous $WWZ$ couplings at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV in proton-antiproton collisions for the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF). $WZ$ candidates are reconstructed from decays containing three charged leptons and missing energy from a neutrino, where the charged leptons are either electrons or muons. Using data collected by the CDF II detector (7.1 fb$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity), 63 candidate events are observed with the expected background contributing $8 \pm 1$ events. The measured total cross section $\sigma (p \bar p \to WZ) = 3.93_{-0.53}^{+0.60}(\text{stat})_{-0.46}^{+0.59}(\text{syst}) $ pb is in good agreement with the standard model prediction of $3.50\pm 0.21$. The same sample is used to set limits on anomalous $WWZ$ couplings.

Authors: Collaboration, CDF; Aaltonen, T; González, B; Amerio, S; Amidei, D

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Physical Review D
• Volume: 86
• Issue: 3
• Publication date: 2012-02-29
• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.86.031104
• EISSN: 1550-2368
• ISSN: 1550-7998
• Language: English
• Keywords: hep-ex