W production and properties at CDF

TL;DR

This paper reports measurements of the W boson charge asymmetry and width using CDF data, introducing a new technique for the asymmetry measurement and confirming the Standard Model prediction for the width.

Contribution

It presents the first direct measurement of W charge asymmetry with a novel reconstruction method and provides a precise W width measurement consistent with the Standard Model.

Findings

W charge asymmetry measured with a new technique

W width G_W = 2032 +/- 71 MeV in agreement with Standard Model

Results will help constrain Parton Distribution Functions

Abstract

I present measurements of the W boson charge asymmetry and the W boson width G_W using 350 pb-1 of CDF Run II data. The charge asymmetry is the first direct measurement, which uses a new technique to reconstruct the W rapidity by constraining its mass; the result will further constrain Parton Distribution Functions in future fits. The width measurement relies on a fit to the W transverse mass distribution. We measure G_W = 2032 +/- 71 MeV which is in good agreement with the Standard Model prediction.