Theory of W and Z boson production

Success of precision studies in W and Z boson production at the Tevatron and LHC depends on the progress in reducing theoretical uncertainties to the level of 1-2%. I review recent developments in theoretical understanding of W and Z boson production and remaining issues to be solved to meet demands of the near-future experiments.Comment: Contribution to the proceedings of the 15th Topical Conference on Hadron Collider Physics (HCP 2004, June 14-18, 2004, East Lansing, MI); 14 pages, 8 figure

A meta-analysis of parton distribution functions

A "meta-analysis" is a method for comparison and combination of nonperturbative parton distribution functions (PDFs) in a nucleon obtained with heterogeneous procedures and assumptions. Each input parton distribution set is converted into a "meta-parametrization" based on a common functional form. By analyzing parameters of the meta-parametrizations from all input PDF ensembles, a combined PDF ensemble can be produced that has a smaller total number of PDF member sets than the original ensembles. The meta-parametrizations simplify the computation of the PDF uncertainty in theoretical predictions and provide an alternative to the 2010 PDF4LHC convention for combination of PDF uncertainties. As a practical example, we construct a META ensemble for computation of QCD observables at the Large Hadron Collider using the next-to-next-to-leading order PDF sets from CTEQ, MSTW, and NNPDF groups as the input. The META ensemble includes a central set that reproduces the average of LHC predictions based on the three input PDF ensembles and Hessian eigenvector sets for computing the combined PDF+$\alpha_s$ uncertainty at a common QCD coupling strength of 0.118.Comment: version to appear on JHE

Nonperturbative contributions to a resummed leptonic angular distribution in inclusive neutral vector boson production

We present an analysis of nonperturbative contributions to the transverse momentum distribution of $Z/\gamma^*$ bosons produced at hadron colliders. The new data on the angular distribution $\phi^*_\eta$ of Drell-Yan pairs measured at the Tevatron is shown to be in excellent agreement with a perturbative QCD prediction based on the Collins-Soper-Sterman (CSS) resummation formalism at NNLL accuracy. Using these data, we determine the nonperturbative component of the CSS resummed cross section and estimate its dependence on arbitrary resummation scales and other factors. With the scale dependence included at the NNLL level, a significant nonperturbative component is needed to describe the angular data.Comment: 36 pages, 10 figures, regular article. Revised version accepted for a publication in Phys.Rev.

Soft parton resummation in the current region of semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering

We discuss resummation of large logarithmic terms that appear in the cross-section of semi-inclusive DIS in the case when the final-state hadron follows the direction of the incoming electroweak vector boson in the c.m. frame of the vector boson and the initial-state proton.Comment: Presented at the 8th International Workshop on Deep Inelastic Scattering (DIS2000), Liverpool, U.K., April 2000; 4 pages, 2 fig

Semi-Inclusive Hadron Production at HERA: the Effect of QCD Gluon Resummation

We present a formalism that improves the applicability of perturbative QCD in the current region of semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering. The formalism is based on all-order resummation of large logarithms arising in the perturbative treatment of hadron multiplicities and energy flows in this region. It is shown that the current region of semi-inclusive DIS is similar to the region of small transverse momenta in vector boson production at hadron colliders. We use this resummation formalism to describe transverse energy flows and charged particle multiplicity measured at the electron-proton collider HERA. We find good agreement between our theoretical results and experimental data for the transverse energy flows.Comment: 38 pages, 13 figures; 1 reference update

Universality of transverse momentum resummation for electroweak boson production

We perform a global analysis of transverse momentum distributions in Drell-Yan pair and Z boson production in order to investigate universality of nonperturbative contributions to the Collins-Soper-Sterman resummed form factor. Our fit made in an improved nonperturbative model suggests that the nonperturbative contributions follow universal nearly-linear dependence on the logarithm of the heavy boson invariant mass Q, which closely agrees with an estimate from the infrared renormalon analysis.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure; contribution to the proceedings of the XIII International Workshop on Deep Inelastic Scattering (DIS 2005, April 27 - May 1, 2005, Madison, WI, U.S.A.

q_T Uncertainties for W and Z Production

Analysis of semi-inclusive DIS hadroproduction suggests broadening of transverse momentum distributions at small x below 1E-3 ~ 1E-2 which can be modeled in the Collins-Soper-Sterman formalism by a modification of impact parameter dependent parton densities. We investigate these consequences for the production of electroweak bosons at the Tevatron and the LHC. If substantial small-x broadening is observed in forward Z boson production in the Tevatron Run-2, it will strongly affect the predicted q_T distributions for W and Z boson production at the LHC.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; contribution to the XIII International Workshop on Deep Inelastic Scattering (DIS 2005