Running Electroweak Couplings as a Probe of New Physics

Understand

The energy dependence of the electroweak gauge couplings has not been measured above the weak scale.

• We propose that percent-level measurements of the energy dependence of $\alpha_{1,2}$ can be performed now at the LHC and at future higher energy hadron colliders.
• These measurements can be used to set limits on new particles with electroweak quantum numbers without relying on any assumptions about their decay properties.
• The shape of the high invariant mass spectrum of Drell-Yan, $p p \rightarrow Z^*/\gamma^* \rightarrow \ell^+ \ell^-$, constrains $\alpha_{1,2}(Q)$, and the shape of the high transverse mass distribution of $p p \rightarrow W^* \rightarrow \ell \nu$ constrains $\alpha_{2}(Q)$.