Measurement of the Muon Charge Asymmetry for W Bosons Produced in Inclusive $pp\rightarrow W(\mu\nu) + X$ at $\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV

TL;DR

This paper reports a precise measurement of the muon charge asymmetry in W boson production at 8 TeV, improving constraints on proton parton distribution functions through a large data sample and QCD analysis.

Contribution

It provides a highly precise muon charge asymmetry measurement at 8 TeV, enhancing understanding of proton structure and valence quark distributions.

Findings

Improved statistical precision over previous measurements

Constraints on proton parton distribution functions

Impact on valence quark distribution understanding

Abstract

Measurement of the muon charge asymmetry in inclusive $pp$$\rightarrow$$W(\mu\nu)$ + X at $\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV is presented. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 18.8 $fb^{-1}$ recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC. With a sample of more than a hundred million $W$$\rightarrow$$\mu$$\nu$ events, the statistical precision is greatly improved in comparison to previous measurements. This new result can provide additional constraints on the parton distribution functions of the proton. This measurement is used together with the cross sections for inclusive deep inelastic ep scattering at HERA in a next-to-leading-order QCD analysis. The impact to the valence quark distributions is demonstrated.