$WZ$ Production at Hadron Colliders: Effects of Non-Standard $WWZ$ Couplings and QCD Corrections

The process $p,\pbar \rightarrow W^{\pm}Z + X \rightarrow \ell^\pm_1 \nu_1 \ell_2^+ \ell_2^- + X$iscalculatedto${\cal O}(\alpha_s)$forgeneral$C$and$P$conserving$WWZ$ couplings. At the Tevatron center of mass energy, the QCD corrections to $WZ$ production are modest. At Large Hadron Collider (LHC) energies, the inclusive QCD corrections are large, but can be reduced significantly if a jet veto is imposed. Sensitivity limits for the anomalous $WWZ$ couplings are derived from the next-to-leading order $Z$ boson transverse momentum distribution for Tevatron and LHC energies. Unless a jet veto is imposed, next-to-leading order QCD corrections decrease the sensitivity to anomalous $WWZ$ couplings considerably at LHC energies, but have little influence at the Tevatron. We also study, at next-to-leading order, rapidity correlations between the $W$ and $Z$ decay products, and the $ZZ\mathrm{/}WZ$ and $WZ\mathrm{/}W\gamma$ cross section ratios. These quantities are found to be useful tools in searching for the approximate zero present in the Standard Model $WZ$ helicity amplitudes. The prospects for observing the approximate amplitude zero at the Tevatron and the LHC are critically assessed.