Like-sign W-boson production has been proposed as a probe of possible strong scattering in the electroweak-symmetry-breaking sector that would enhance the production of longitudinally polarized gauge bosons. We evaluate the expected signals in the channel pp→${\mathit{W}}^{+}$${\mathit{W}}^{+}$X, ${\mathit{W}}^{+}$→${\mathit{l}}^{+}$ν at pp supercolliders, for several different theoretical models in which strong scattering occurs, using realistic acceptance cuts and comparing with standard-model background contributions. We find that backgrounds are potentially a serious problem, especially those from electroweak production of transversely polarized W bosons. However, vetoing events with high-${\mathit{p}}_{\mathit{T}}$ jets in the central region makes it possible to suppress all backgrounds at little cost to the signal. With an integrated luminosity of 10 ${\mathrm{fb}}^{\mathrm{-}1}$ at the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) or 100 ${\mathrm{fb}}^{\mathrm{-}1}$ at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and a dilepton detection efficiency of 50%, there could be 3–8 signal events, depending on the model, with about 3.5 (1.7) background events at the SSC and 8.5 (2.5) background events at the LHC for ${\mathit{m}}_{\mathit{t}}$=100 (200) GeV.

• Received 16 August 1990

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.42.3052