W and Z Boson Production in PbarP Collisions at Sqrt(s)=1.8 TeV

TL;DR

This paper reports precise measurements of W and Z boson production cross sections in proton-antiproton collisions at 1.8 TeV, using the D0 detector, and derives the W boson width assuming Standard Model couplings.

Contribution

First precise measurements of W and Z boson production cross sections at 1.8 TeV in proton-antiproton collisions, with implications for Standard Model parameters.

Findings

Measured cross sections for W and Z bosons with leptonic decays.

Calculated the ratio of W to Z production cross sections.

Derived the W boson width consistent with the Standard Model.

Abstract

The inclusive cross sections times leptonic branching ratios for W and Z boson production in PbarP collisions at Sqrt(s)=1.8 TeV were measured using the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider: Sigma_W*B(W->e, nu) = 2.36 +/- 0.07 +/- 0.13 nb, Sigma_W*B(W->mu,nu) = 2.09 +/- 0.23 +/- 0.11 nb, Sigma_Z*B(Z-> e, e) = 0.218 +/- 0.011 +/- 0.012 nb, Sigma_Z*B(Z->mu,mu) = 0.178 +/- 0.030 +/- 0.009 nb. The first error is the combined statistical and systematic uncertainty, and the second reflects the uncertainty in the luminosity. For the combined electron and muon analyses we find: [Sigma_W*B(W->l,nu)]/[Sigma_Z*B(Z->l,l)] = 10.90 +/- 0.49. Assuming Standard Model couplings, this result is used to determine the width of the W boson: Gamma(W) = 2.044 +/- 0.093 GeV.