Deconstructing Angular Correlations in ZH, ZZ, and WW Production at LEP2

Abstract

We apply a generalized spin-basis analysis to associated Higgs production and gauge boson pair production at LEP. This framework allows us to identify a choice of spin axes for the processes e+ e- --> ZH,ZZ which leads to strikingly different correlations among the decay products, even well above threshold. This spin basis optimizes the difference in the angular correlations for these two processes. In contrast, the same distributions display little contrast when the helicity basis is used. We also apply this technique to the case of W boson pair production.

Comments: 47 pages, 19 figures, revtex. Added paragraph on the effects of finite detector resolution on the angular reconstruction. Improved introduction to section on WW production. Supplied missing plot keys