New Measurement of W and Z Bosons Published

The W and Z bosons mediate the weak interaction and are closely linked to the Higgs boson through electroweak symmetry breaking. Since their discovery in 1983 with the SPPS, the predecessor of the LHC, they have been measured with increasing precision and are now among the best-understood particles of the Standard Model.

Thanks to this property, they serve as excellent reference points for assessing the performance and accuracy of experimental measurements, as well as calibration sources for other particles. Following the LHC’s Long Shutdown 2 (2018–2022), Run 3 began a new data-taking period at the highest collision energy ever achieved: 13.6 TeV. In this context, ETP conducted a precise measurement of the production probability of W and Z bosons at the LHC as part of the CMS collaboration.

The publication of these results was primarily driven by the group led by Prof. Markus Klute, particularly PhD candidate Jost von den Driesch and postdoctoral researchers Nils Faltermann and Xunwu Zuo. The analysis involved various data calibration methods, making an important contribution to future studies.

This new publication marks a milestone in precision cross-section measurements and highlights the exceptional quality of the recorded data. The results are consistent with Standard Model predictions but also demonstrate the potential to further constrain certain parameters in the description of protons.

The results are available as a preprint.

Contact: Prof. Markus Klute