Measurements of the inclusive W and Z boson production cross sections and their ratios in proton-proton collisions at TeV

Abstract

Measurements are presented of the W and Z boson production cross sections in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13.6 TeV. Data collected in 2022 and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.01 fb?1 with one or two identified muons in the final state are analyzed. The results for the products of total inclusive cross sections and branching fractions for muonic decays of W and Z bosons are (acceptance) nb for W+ boson production, (acceptance) nb for W? boson production, and (acceptance) nb for the Z boson production in the dimuon mass range of 60–120 GeV, all with negligible statistical uncertainties. Furthermore, the corresponding fiducial cross sections, as well as cross section ratios for both fiducial and total phase space, are provided. The ratios include charge-separated results for W boson production (W+ and W?) and the sum of the two contributions (W±), each relative to the measured Z boson production cross section. Additionally, the ratio of the measured cross sections for W+ and W? boson production is reported. All measurements are in agreement with theoretical predictions, calculated at next-to-next-to-leading order accuracy in quantum chromodynamics. © The Author(s) 2026.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, MCIU; Ministry of Education and Science, MES; Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, BUAP; Center for African Studies, CAS; Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, FCT; Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, DAE; National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, NASU; National Science and Technology Development Agency, NSTDA; Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, MOE; National Science Foundation, NSF; Missouri University of Science and Technology, MST; Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules, IN2P3; Science and Technology Facilities Council, STFC; Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, CINVESTAV; Ministério da Educação e Ciência, MEC; Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, FAPERJ; Universiti Malaya, UM; Bundesministerium Bildung, BMBWF; National Science Council, NSC; Ministry of Science,Technology and Research, MoSTR; Hispanics in Philanthropy, HIP; Secretaría de Educación Pública, SEP; Austrian Science Fund, FWF; Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India, IndiaDST; Secretaría de Ciencia, Humanidades, Tecnología e Innovación; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, CNRS; Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt, BMBF; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, FWO; Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu, TUBITAK; Research Council of Finland, AKA; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, CNPq; Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, PAEC; Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, CAPES; California Earthquake Authority, CEA; Türkiye Enerji, Nükleer ve Maden Araştırma Kurumu, TENMAK; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG; Ministarstvo Prosvete, Nauke i Tehnološkog Razvoja, MPNTR; Science Foundation Ireland, SFI; U.S. Department of Energy, ERDA; Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, FAPESP; Cosmetic Surgery Foundation, CSF; Agencia Estatal de Investigación, AEI; Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China, MOST; General Secretariat for Research and Innovation, GSRI; Bulgarian National Science Fund, BNSF; Hugh Green Foundation, HGF; Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación; Maryland Ornithological Society, MOS; Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, Thailand, MHESRI; Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS, FNRS; Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, FAPERGS; Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation, SRNSF; Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences, IPM; CERN, CERN; National Retail Federation, NRF; Ministry of Science ICT and Future Planning, MSIP; Secretaría de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, SENESCYT; Ministry for Business Innovation and Employment, MBIE; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, INFN; Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, UASLP; National Natural Science Foundation of China, NNSFC; (2022/WK/14); (C-1845); (2021/43/B/ST2/01552, 2021/41/B/ST2/01369); (675440, 752730, 758316, 724704, 101002207, 765710, 824093, 101115353); (B39G670016); (FR-22-985); Engineering Research Centers, ERC, (MoER TK202); Engineering Research Centers, ERC; (CA16108); (MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033); (CEECIND/01334/2018); (Z191100007219010); (400140256 — GRK2497, 390833306); Nemzeti Kutatási Fejlesztési és Innovációs Hivatal, NKFI, (TKP2021-NKTA-64, K 143460, K 146914, K 146913, K 143477, K 138136, 2021-4.1.2-NEMZ_KI-2024-00036, K 147048, K 131991, 2020-2.2.1-ED-2021-00181, K 133046); Nemzeti Kutatási Fejlesztési és Innovációs Hivatal, NKFI; (22rl-037