Using Drell-Yan forward-backward asymmetry to reduce PDF uncertainties in the measurement of electroweak parameters

Abstract

The uncertainties in Parton Distribution Functions (PDFs) are the dominant source of the systematic uncertainty in precision measurements of electroweak parameters at hadron colliders (e.g. $\sin^2\theta_{eff}(M_Z)$, $\sin^2\theta_{W}=1-M_W^2/M_Z^2$ and the mass of the W boson). We show that measurements of the forward-backward charge asymmetry ($A_{FB}(M,y)$) of Drell-Yan dilepton events produced at hadron colliders provide a new powerful tool to reduce the PDF uncertainties in these measurements.