Resolved-photon background in precision W-boson mass measurement

Determine the effect of the energy-dependent multi-hadron production background from photon–photon collisions on the proposed precision measurement of the W-boson mass using the W-plus–W-minus production cross section at a future circular electron–positron collider, particularly between center-of-mass energies of 157.5 and 162.5 GeV.

Background

The paper considers a proposed method for measuring the W-boson mass and decay width at a future circular electron–positron collider by comparing the W+W− production cross section at center-of-mass energies of 157.5 and 162.5 GeV. At the required point-to-point detector-acceptance precision, the several-percent change in the multi-hadron background generated by photon–photon collisions could be significant. The paper states that the precise energy dependence of this background and its impact on the W-boson mass determination remain unresolved.