Effects of Strong Electromagnetic Fields on Z⁰ Boson Decay in Ultra Relativistic Collisions

Ultra relativistic heavy ion collisions are known to create a state of hot QCD matter known as the Quark Gluon Plasma, which is believed to be the state of matter the early universe consisted of. Collisions of this nature are also predicted to generate a massive electromagnetic field. A direct measurement of the strength and lifetime of the electromagnetic field would allow for a better probe of the dynamics of heavy quarks and an increased understanding of the interactions that occur in hot QCD matter in these types of collisions. Our team is investigating the possibility of utilizing measurements of the mass shift in Z⁰ decay using CMS data as a way of measuring the strength and time evolution of the electromagnetic field in heavy ion collisions. We report on the development of Monte Carlo simulations of Z⁰ decay in the presence of varying electromagnetic fields and define how the resulting shifts of the reconstructed invariant mass of the Z⁰ based on the changed momentum of the produced leptons compares to previous predictions.