Measurements of $W$ and $Z$ boson production in proton–proton collisions constitute benchmark tests of the Standard Model at the LHC. Covering various phase spaces, they may be sensitive to new physics and provide important input to parton distribution functions and the modeling of QCD and electroweak radiation.
Here, four differential cross-section measurements by the ATLAS Collaboration are highlighted:
high-precision $W^{\pm}$ cross-sections from low-pileup data, a first measurement of charged-current Drell–Yan production at high transverse masses, cross-sections of $W$ bosons produced in association with high-$p_\text{T}$ jets, and a $Z$+jets measurement using a novel machine-learning based unfolding. Together, these measurements underline the excellent performance of the ATLAS detector and the validity of the Standard Model to high precision in various kinematic phase spaces,
and provide valuable potential for improving PDFs and the modeling of QCD as well as limits on effective field theory parameters.