QED RADIATIVE-CORRECTIONS TO Z-BOSON PRODUCTION AND THE FORWARD-BACKWARD ASYMMETRY AT HADRON COLLIDERS

The O(alpha) radiative corrections to the process p (sic) --> gamma, Z-->l(+)l(-) (l = e, mu) are calculated. Factorizing the collinear sin gularity associated with initial state photon bremsstrahlung into the parton distribution functions, we find that initial state corrections have a much smaller effect than final state radiative corrections. Bec ause of mass singular logarithmic terms associated with photons emitte d collinear with one of the final state leptons, QED radiative correct ions strongly affect the shape of the di-lepton invariant mass distrib ution, the lepton transverse momentum spectrum, and the forward-backwa rd asymmetry A(FB). They lead to a sizable shift in the Z boson mass e xtracted from data, decrease the di-lepton cross section by up to 10%, and increase the integrated forward-backward asymmetry in the Z peak region by about 7% at the Fermilab Tevatron. We also investigate how e xperimental lepton identification requirements modify the effect of th e QED corrections, and study the prospects for a high precision measur ement of sin(2) theta(eff)(lept) using the forward-backward asymmetry at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. [S0556-2821(98)03201-9].