Cross-fertilising extra gauge boson searches at the LHC

Abstract

For the purpose of cross-fertilising currently separate experimental approaches, we connect results of LHC analyses attempting to access the properties of additional W′ and Z′ bosons from Drell-Yan processes. Under theoretical assumptions linking the two new gauge bosons, we take into account that such possible states of nature are wide enough (in relation to the leptonic mass resolution) for the corresponding signals be significantly affected by interference effects with the background from the Standard Model. The shape of the differential cross section may then no longer be a standard Breit-Wigner distribution, and asymmetry observables would become useful for characterisation (and, possibly, discovery) purposes. Under such conditions we concentrate our analysis on specific widely-studied models: the Sequential Standard Model, a model with an additional SU(2)L gauge symmetry, as well as standard and alternative realisations of the Left-Right Symmetric Model. We show how information gathered in Z′ boson searches in terms of cross section and/or asymmetry distributions can be used to improve W′ boson searches in terms of the LHC sensitivity, and vice versa.