Non-factorizable corrections to W-pair production

Abstract

In this paper we study the non-factorizable QED corrections to W-pair-mediated (charged-current) four-fermion production in electron-positron collisions. A brief account of the obtained analytical results is given. They turn out to be different from the ones published in the literature. For the first time numerical results are presented, in particular the effects on the W line-shape. These effects are of the order of a per cent. Applying the same methods to ZZ- or ZH-mediated four-fermion production, the non-factorizable $O(\alpha)$ corrections to the Z or H line-shape vanish.