A Phenomenological Study of the Process $e^+e^-\toμ^+μ^-ν_l\barν_l$ at High Energy $e^+e^-$ Colliders and Measurement of the $ZWW$ and $γWW$ Couplings

Abstract

We perform a detailed study of the process $e^+e^-\to μ^+μ^-ν_l\barν_l$ including all contributions. The contributions other than from real gauge boson production leads to a rich phenomenology. We explore the use of the process as a means of precision measurement of the $ZWW$ and $γWW$ vertices. We concentrate on LEP II energies, $\sqrt{s}=200$ GeV, and energies appropriate to the proposed Next Linear Collider (NLC) high energy $e^+e^-$ collider with center of mass energies $\sqrt{s}=500$ and 1~TeV. At 200 GeV, the process offers, at best, a consistency check of other processes being considered at LEP200. At 500~GeV, the parameters $κ_γ$, $λ_γ$, $κ_Z$, and $λ_Z$ can be measured to about $\pm 0.1$ or better at 95\% C.L. while at 1 TeV, they can be measured to about $\pm 0.01$. At the high luminosities anticipated at high energy linear colliders precision measurements are likely to be limited by systematic rather than statistical errors.