Towards the inclusion of NLO EW corrections in the MiNLO method in Drell–Yan processes: the QED case

Abstract In this paper we present the first application of the MiNLO method to the calculation of QED NLO corrections to the production of a neutral vector boson in Drell–Yan processes. We consider only the case of initial-state radiation, when the Z boson decays into neutrinos. We illustrate the abelianization procedure of the MiNLO formulae and discuss the impact that it has on the differential cross section. We then propose a variant of the MiNLO formulae in order to circumvent some of the problems that arise when dealing with QED emissions. Since this is a case study, we use ad-hoc parton distribution functions and a larger value of the electromagnetic coupling constant, in order to emphasize potential discrepancies with respect to the expected behavior of the MiNLO formulae. We quantify the uncertainties connected with the proposed method, also for a physical value of the electromagnetic coupling. The study presented here is a necessary first step towards incorporating full electroweak effects into the $$\text {MiNNLO}_{\text {PS}}$$ MiNNLO PS framework.