Measurement of the W boson mass at the Tevatron

Over the past four decades, the standard model of electroweak interactions has achieved tremendous success in describing the experimental data. One of the key observables is the mass M w of the W boson. The experimental measurements, including M w, have reached a level of precision that tests the theory at the quantum loop level, providing indirect constraints on the hypothetical Higgs boson and other new physics. Improved measurements of M w are driven by new data from Run II of the Fermilab Tevatron (pp̄ collider at ̂s = 1.96 TeV). We discuss the techniques used for measuring M w at hadron colliders, summarize the measurements from Run I of the Tevatron, and review the state of the art of the Run II analyses, which are based on significantly larger data sets collected with upgraded detectors. We discuss the constraints on the Higgs boson, and conclude with a discussion of the ultimate precision in M w that can be expected from Run II. Copyright © 2008 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved.

Duke Scholars

Author Ashutosh V. Kotwal Physics