Measurement of the polar-angle distribution of leptons from W boson decay as a function of the W transverse momentum in pp̄ collisions at √s=1.8 TeV

Journal article

We present a measurement of the polar-angle distribution of leptons from W boson decay, as a function of the W transverse momentum. The measurement uses an 80±4 pb-1 sample of pp̄ collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV collected by the CDF detector and includes data from both the W→e+ν and W→μ+ν decay channels. We fit the W boson transverse mass distribution to a set of templates from a Monte Carlo event generator and detector simulation in several ranges of the W transverse momentum. The measurement agrees with the standard model expectation, whereby the ratio of longitudinally to transversely polarized W bosons, in the Collins-Soper W rest frame, increases with the W transverse momentum at a rate of approximately 15% per 10 GeV/c.

Authors: Acosta, D; Affolder, T; Albrow, MG; Ambrose, D; Amidei, D

• Journal: Physical Review D
• Volume: 70
• Issue: 3
• Publication date: 2004-08-15
• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.70.032004
• ISSN: 0556-2821
• Language: English