Subleading processes in production of $W^+ W^-$ pairs in proton-proton collisions

Abstract

We discuss many new subleading processes for inclusive production of $W^+ W^-$ pairs not included in the literature so far. We focus on photon-photon induced processes. We include elastic-elastic, elastic-inelastic, inelastic-elastic and inelastic-inelastic contributions. The inelastic photon distributions in the proton are calculated in two different ways: naive approach used already in the literature and using photon distributions by solving special evolution equation with photon being a parton in the proton. The results strongly depend on the approach used. We calculate also contributions with resolved photons. The diffractive components have similar characteristics as the photon-photon elastic-inelastic and inelastic-elastic mechanisms. The subleading contributions are compared with the well known $q \bar q$ and $g g$ as well as with double-parton scattering contributions. Predictions for the total cross section and differential distributions in $W$- boson rapidity and transverse momentum as well as $WW$ invariant mass are presented. The $\gamma \gamma$ components constitute only about 1-2 % of the inclusive $W^+ W^-$ cross section but about 10 % at large $W^{\pm}$ transverse momenta, and are even comparable to the dominant $q \bar q$ component at large $M_{WW}$, i.e. are much larger than the often celebrated $g g \to W^+ W^-$ component. Its size is comparable to double parton scattering contribution. Only elastic-elastic, elastic-inelastic and inelastic-elastic contributions could be potentially measured to verify our predictions using forward proton detectors.