NST Part III Experimental and Theoretical Physics Michaelmas 2011

Prof Mark Thomson

Particle Physics Major Option

EXAMPLES SHEET 4
THE Z BOSON

26. Consider the decay of the Z0 to a fermion-antifermion pair, Z0 → ff, where the fermion couples to
the Z0 with vector and axial vector coupling constants cV and cA :

a) Use the Feynman rules to show that the matrix element for the decay Z0 → ff can be written in the
form
Mf i = cL · gZ ǫµ (p1 )u(p3 )γ µ 12 (1 − γ 5 )v(p4 ) + cR · gZ ǫµ (p1 )u(p3 )γ µ 21 (1 + γ 5 )v(p4 )
≡ c L · ML + c R · MR
where p1 is the Z0 4-momentum, p3 and p4 are the 4-momenta of the fermion and antifermion, and
cL = 21 (cV + cA ), cR = 12 (cV − cA ).

b) Assuming the fermion mass can be neglected, draw diagrams illustrating the spin configurations
which result in non-zero values of ML and MR .

c) Use the results of the calculation of the W− → e− ν e decay rate in the lectures to show that, for
unpolarised Z0 ’s,
h|Mf i |2 i = 23 gZ2 m2Z (c2L + c2R )
and hence that the decay rate is
gZ2 mZ 2
Γ(Z0 → ff) = (c + c2A ) .
48π V

27. a) Use the result of the previous question to compute the total width of the Z0 , and compare to
experiment. [Take sin2 θW = 0.23, and remember that quarks have three colour states].

b) What will be the value of

σ(e+ e− → hadrons)
R=
σ(e+ e− → µ+ µ− )
at the peak of the Z0 resonance ?

c) Calculate the cross section for e+ e− → Z0 at the resonance peak, and show that the cross-section
for e+ e− → µ+ µ− is increased by a factor of ≈ 200 relative to the QED cross section.

d) The width Γ(Z0 → bb) has been measured at LEP to be 0.378 GeV. Show that the weak isospin
of the b quark is compatible with a value of −0.5. Explain why this result effectively guaranteed the
existence of the top quark, even before it was directly discovered.

[GF = 1.166 × 10−5 GeV−2 .]

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28. a) It was shown in the lectures that the centre of mass frame differential cross section dσLR /d cos θ
for the process e+ e− → ff on the peak of the Z0 resonance, for the case that the incoming electron is
left-handed and the outgoing fermion is right-handed, is given by
dσLR
∝ (ceL )2 (cfR )2 (1 − cos θ)2 .
d cos θ
F B
Show that the corresponding forward and backward cross sections σLR and σLR are given by
F
σLR ∝ (ceL )2 (cfR )2 , B
σLR ∝ 7(ceL )2 (cfR )2 ,
F B F B F B
and write down similar expressions for the cross sections σRL , σRL , σLL , σLL , σRR , σRR .

b) The asymmetry AFB

LR is defined as

(σLF − σLB ) − (σRF − σRB )

AFB
LR ≡
(σLF + σLB ) + (σRF + σRB )

where σL ≡ σLL + σLR and σR ≡ σRL + σRR are the total cross sections for left-handed and right-
handed incoming electrons, respectively. Show that

3 (cfL )2 − (cfR )2 3
AFB
LR = f f
≡ Af ,
4 (cL )2 + (cR )2 4

and compare with the similar predictions for the asymmetries ALR and AFB .

c) Using a polarised electron beam, the SLD experiment has recently measured AFB
LR for the process
+ −
e e → cc, and obtained the result Ac = 0.6712 ± 0.0274. Determine the corresponding value of
sin2 θW and (optionally) its error.

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 THE TOP QUARK

29. a) The top quark decays into final states containing 1) two quarks and an antiquark, or 2) a quark, a
lepton and an antilepton. List the possible final states of each type and draw the generic leading order
Feynman diagram for these decays. Explain why the total top quark decay rate is dominated by the
rate for the decay t → W+ b into a real W+ boson and b quark.

b) Use the Feynman rules to show that the matrix element for the decay t → W+ b is given by
gW
Mf i = √ ǫ∗µ (p4 )u(p3 )γ µ 21 (1 − γ 5 )u(p1 )
2
where p1 is the 4-momentum of the top quark and p3 and p4 are the 4-momenta of the b quark and
W+ , respectively.

c) Consider the decay t → W+ b in the top quark rest frame, with the b quark travelling in the
+z direction. Neglect the b quark mass. Draw diagrams illustrating the two spin configurations
which are allowed in this case. Show that, when the top quark spin points in the +z direction, the
matrix element Mf i is given by p
M↑ = −gW 2mt p∗
where p∗ = (m2t − m2W )/2mt is the magnitude of the three-momenta of the W+ and the b quark.
Show that when the top quark spin points in the −z direction, the matrix element becomes
mt √
M↓ = −gW mt p∗ .
mW

d) Explain why the decay of an unpolarised sample of top quarks must be isotropic, and show that the
total decay rate in this case is
2 
GF m3t m2 2m2W
 
Γ= √ 1− W 1+ .
8π 2 m2t m2t

e) Calculate the top quark lifetime. Use the uncertainty principle to estimate a typical hadronisation
timescale and comment on the result.

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 THE HIGGS BOSON

30. a) Use the Feynman rules to show that the matrix element for the decay H → W+ W− is

Mf i = −gW mW gµν ǫµ (p2 )∗ ǫν (p3 )∗

where p2 and p3 are the 4-momenta of the W− and W+ , respectively.

b) Show that Mf i = −gW mW when both W bosons are left-handed or both are right-handed, that
Mf i = (gW /mW )( 12 m2H − m2W ) when both W bosons are longitudinally polarised, and that Mf i = 0
for the six remaining combinations of W boson spin states.

c) Show that the H → W+ W− decay rate is

GF m3H √
Γ(H → W+ W− ) = 1 − 4λ2 1 − 4λ2 + 12λ4


√
8π 2
where λ = mW /mH .
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d) For H → Z0 Z0 decays, an extra factor of 2
is required to account for the fact that the final state
contains two identical particles. Show that

Γ(H → Z0 Z0 ) = 21 Γ(H → W+ W− )|(mW →mZ ) .

e) For H → ff decays into a fermion-antifermion pair, the decay rate is

3/2
GF m2f mH 4m2

Γ(H → ff) = Nc √ 1 − 2f
2 4π mH

where Nc is the number of colour degrees of freedom of the fermion f of mass mf [See Tripos paper,
Jan 2002, for a derivation of this result]. Compute the H → W+ W− , H → Z0 Z0 and H → tt
branching ratios and the total Higgs width Γ for a Higgs mass of 500 GeV. [Note that the decay rates
into ff final states other than H → tt are negligibly small since mf ≪ mt .]

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 NUMERICAL ANSWERS

27. a) ΓZ = 2.3 GeV; b) R = 20.1; c) 61 nb

28. c) sin2 θW ≈ 0.230 ± 0.008

29. e) τ ≈ 4.0 × 10−25 s, τhad ∼ ×10−23 s

30. e) BR(H → W+ W− ) = 55.8%, BR(H → Z0 Z0 ) = 26.7%, BR(H → tt) = 17.5%;

Γ = 62.9 GeV