Measurement of the Z(→ ℓ ⁺ ℓ ⁻)γ production cross-section in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Abstract

The production of a prompt photon in association with a Z boson is studied in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy s√ = 13 TeV. The analysis uses a data sample with an integrated luminosity of 139 fb⁻¹ collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC from 2015 to 2018. The production cross-section for the process pp → ℓ⁺ℓ⁻γ + X (ℓ = e, μ) is measured within a fiducial phase-space region defined by kinematic requirements on the photon and the leptons, and by isolation requirements on the photon. An experimental precision of 2.9% is achieved for the fiducial cross-section. Differential cross-sections are measured as a function of each of six kinematic variables characterising the ℓ⁺ℓ⁻γ system. The data are compared with theoretical predictions based on next-to-leading-order and next-to-next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD calculations. The impact of next-to-leading-order electroweak corrections is also considered.