Alioli, S., Arbuzov, S. B, Bardin, D. Yu, Barze, L., Bernaciak, C., Bondarenko, S. G., Carloni Calame, C., Chiesa, M., Dittmaier, S., Ferrera, G., de Florian, Daniel Enrique, Grazzini, M., Hoche, S., Huss, A., Jadach, S., Kalinovskaya, L. V., Karlberg, A., Krauss, F., Li, Y., Martinez, H., Montagna, G., Muck, A., Nason, P., Nicrosini, O., Petriello, F., Piccinini, F., Placzek, W., Prestel, S., Re, E., Sapronov, A. A., Schonherr, M., Schwinn, C., Vicini, A., Wackeroth, D., Was, Z., Zanderighi, G., Alioli, S, Arbuzov, A, Bardin, D, Barzè, L, Bernaciak, C, Bondarenko, S, Carloni Calame, C, Chiesa, M, Dittmaier, S, Ferrera, G, de Florian, D, Grazzini, M, Höche, S, Huss, A, Jadach, S, Kalinovskaya, L, Karlberg, A, Krauss, F, Li, Y, Martinez, H, Montagna, G, Mück, A, Nason, P, Nicrosini, O, Petriello, F, Piccinini, F, Płaczek, W, Prestel, S, Re, E, Sapronov, A, Schönherr, M, Schwinn, C, Vicini, A, Wackeroth, D, Was, Z, and Zanderighi, G
This report was prepared in the context of the LPCC "Electroweak Precision Measurements at the LHC WG" and summarizes the activity of a subgroup dedicated to the systematic comparison of public Monte Carlo codes, which describe the Drell-Yan processes at hadron colliders, in particular at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). This work represents an important step towards the definition of an accurate simulation framework necessary for very high-precision measurements of electroweak (EW) observables such as the W boson mass and the weak mixing angle. All the codes considered in this report share at least next-to-leading-order (NLO) accuracy in the prediction of the total cross sections in an expansion either in the strong or in the EW coupling constant. The NLO fixed-order predictions have been scrutinized at the technical level, using exactly the same inputs, setup and perturbative accuracy, in order to quantify the level of agreement of different implementations of the same calculation. A dedicated comparison, again at the technical level, of three codes that reach next-to-next-to-leading-order (NNLO) accuracy in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) for the total cross section has also been performed. These fixed-order results are a well-defined reference that allows a classification of the impact of higher-order sets of radiative corrections. Several examples of higher-order effects due to the strong or the EW interaction are discussed in this common framework. Also the combination of QCD and EW corrections is discussed, together with the ambiguities that affect the final result, due to the choice of a specific combination recipe. Fil: Alioli, S.. Organización Europea para la Investigación Nuclear; Suiza Fil: Arbuzov, S. B. Instituto Central de Investigaciones Nucleares; Rusia Fil: Bardin, D. Yu. Instituto Central de Investigaciones Nucleares; Rusia Fil: Barze, L.. Universita Degli Studi Di Pavia; Italia Fil: Bernaciak, C.. University at Buffalo; Estados Unidos. State University of New York; Estados Unidos Fil: Bondarenko, S. G.. Instituto Central de Investigaciones Nucleares; Rusia Fil: Carloni Calame, C.. State University of New York; Estados Unidos. University at Buffalo; Estados Unidos Fil: Chiesa, M.. State University of New York; Estados Unidos. University at Buffalo; Estados Unidos Fil: Dittmaier, S.. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; Alemania Fil: Ferrera, G.. Università degli Studi di Milano; Italia Fil: de Florian, Daniel Enrique. Universidad Nacional de San Martín; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; Argentina Fil: Grazzini, M.. Universitat Zurich; Suiza Fil: Hoche, S.. National Accelerator Laboratory; Estados Unidos Fil: Huss, A.. Institute for Theoretical Physics; Suiza Fil: Jadach, S.. Institute of Nuclear Physics; Polonia Fil: Kalinovskaya, L. V.. Instituto Central de Investigaciones Nucleares; Rusia Fil: Karlberg, A.. University of Oxford; Reino Unido Fil: Krauss, F.. University of Durham; Reino Unido Fil: Li, Y.. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory; Estados Unidos Fil: Martinez, H.. Universita Degli Studi Di Pavia; Italia Fil: Montagna, G.. Universita Degli Studi Di Pavia; Italia Fil: Muck, A.. Universidad Técnica de Aquisgrán; Alemania Fil: Nason, P.. No especifíca; Fil: Nicrosini, O.. No especifíca; Fil: Petriello, F.. Argonne National Laboratory; Estados Unidos. Northwestern University; Estados Unidos Fil: Piccinini, F.. No especifíca; Fil: Placzek, W.. Jagiellonian University; Polonia Fil: Prestel, S.. National Accelerator Laboratory; Estados Unidos Fil: Re, E.. Universite Savoie Mont Blanc; Francia Fil: Sapronov, A. A.. Instituto Central de Investigaciones Nucleares; Rusia Fil: Schonherr, M.. Universitat Zurich; Suiza Fil: Schwinn, C.. Universidad Técnica de Aquisgrán; Alemania Fil: Vicini, A.. Università degli Studi di Milano; Italia Fil: Wackeroth, D.. University of California; Estados Unidos. University at Buffalo; Estados Unidos Fil: Was, Z.. Polish Academy of Sciences; Polonia Fil: Zanderighi, G.. Organización Europea para la Investigación Nuclear; Suiza. University of Oxford; Reino Unido