Evidence for exclusive γγ → W+ W− production and constraints on anomalous quartic gauge couplings in pp collisions at √s = 7 and 8 TeV


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The CMS collaboration C., Khachatryan V., Sirunyan A., Tumasyan A., Adam W., Asilar E., ...More

Journal of High Energy Physics, vol.2016, no.8, 2016 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 2016 Issue: 8
  • Publication Date: 2016
  • Doi Number: 10.1007/jhep08(2016)119
  • Journal Name: Journal of High Energy Physics
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Keywords: Forward physics, Hadron-Hadron scattering (experiments)
  • Yıldız Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

A search for exclusive or quasi-exclusive γγ → W+W− production, via pp → p(*)W+W−p(*) → p(*)μ±e∓p(*) at √s = 8 TeV, is reported using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb−1. Events are selected by requiring the presence of an electron-muon pair with large transverse momentum pT(μ±e∓) > 30 GeV, and no associated charged particles detected from the same vertex. The 8 TeV results are combined with the previous 7 TeV results (obtained for 5.05 fb−1 of data). In the signal region, 13 (2) events are observed over an expected background of 3.9 ± 0.6 (0.84 ± 0.15) events for 8 (7) TeV, resulting in a combined excess of 3.4σ over the background-only hypothesis. The observed yields and kinematic distributions are compatible with the standard model prediction for exclusive and quasi-exclusive γγ → W+W− production. Upper limits on the anomalous quartic gauge coupling operators a0,C W (dimension-6) and fM0,1,2,3 (dimension-8), the most stringent to date, are derived from the measured dilepton transverse momentum spectrum.