Measurement of the inclusive Z cross section via decays to tau pairs in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV

The FIrst measurement of inclusive Z → T+T- production in pp collisions at the LHC is presented, in the final states μ+hadrons, e+hadrons, e+μ, and μ+ μ. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 36 pb-1 collected with the CMS detector. The measured cross section is σ (pp → ZX)×B (Z → T +T-) = 1:00±0:05 (stat:) ± 0:08 (syst:) ± 0:04 (lumi:) nb, which is in good agreement with the next-to-next-to-leading order QCD prediction and improves on previous measurements in the Z → e+e- and μ +μ - channels. The reconstruction eficiency for hadronic T decays is determined with a precision of 7%. © 2011 SISSA.