The W_L W_L scattering at the LHC: improving the selection criteria

We present a systematic study of the different mechanisms leading to WW pair production at the LHC, both in the same-sign and opposite-sign channels, and we emphasize that the former offers much better potential for investigating non-resonant W_L W_L scattering. We propose a new kinematic variable to isolate the W_L W_L scattering component in same-sign WW production at the LHC. Focusing on purely leptonic W decay channels, we show that it considerably improves the LHC capabilities to shed light on the electroweak symmetry breaking mechanism after collecting 100 fb^{-1} of data at sqrt{s} = 14 TeV. The new variable is less effective in the opposite-sign WW channel due to different background composition.