W+W−pair production ine+e−colliders

We investigate the possibility of using the reaction $e^{+}{e}^{-}\to W^{+}{W}^{-}$ as a probe of the self-interactions of the electroweak gauge bosons. We modify the self-couplings of these bosons by the inclusion of an arbitrary $W$ magnetic-moment parameter $\kappa$, the analog for the $\mathrm{ZWW}$ coupling ${\kappa }_Z$, and a parameter $\omega$, measuring the relative strengths of the $\mathrm{ZWW}$ and $\gamma \mathrm{WW}$ couplings; in the standard $\mathrm{SU}{\mathrm{}\left(2\right)\mathrm{}}_L\times \mathrm{U}\mathrm{}\left(1\right)\mathrm{}$ theory these parameters are all, at tree level, unity. We calculate the dependence of the potentially observable decay-lepton angular distribution on $\kappa$, ${\kappa }_Z$, and $\omega$ and present the dependence of the total and angular differential cross sections on these parameters. We first present results appropriate to CERN LEP II and then discuss the advantages of both a polarized-beam machine at $\sqrt{s}=260\mathrm{}$ GeV and of a super-LEP operating at $\sqrt{s}=500\mathrm{}$ GeV.