$A_{FB}$ as a discovery tool for $Z^{\mathrm{\prime }}$ bosons at the LHC

The Forward-Backward Asymmetry (AFB) in $Z^{\mathrm{\prime }}$ physics is commonly only perceived as the observable which possibly allows one to interpret a $Z^{\mathrm{\prime }}$ signal by distinguishing different models of such (heavy) spin-1 bosons. In this article, we examine the potential of AFB in setting bounds on or even discovering a $Z^{\mathrm{\prime }}$ at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and show that it might be a powerful tool for this purpose. We analyze two different scenarios: $Z^{\mathrm{\prime }}$s with a narrow and wide width, respectively. We find that in both cases AFB can complement the cross section in accessing $Z^{\mathrm{\prime }}$ signals.