Review of W and Z Production at the Tevatron

Abstract

The CDF and \D0 collaborations have used recent data taken at the Tevatron to perform QCD tests with $W$ and $Z$ bosons decaying leptonically. \D0 measures the production cross section times branching ratio for $W$ and $Z$ bosons. This also gives an indirect measurement of the total width of the $W$ boson: $\gw=2.126\pm0.092 GeV$. CDF reports on a direct measurement of $\gw=2.19\pm0.19 GeV$, in good agreement with the indirect determination and Standard Model predictions. \D0's measurement of the differential $d\sigma /d{p}_T$ distribution for $W$ and $Z$ bosons decaying to electrons agrees with the combined QCD perturbative and resummation calculations. In addition, the $d\sigma /d{p}_T$ distribution for the $Z$ boson discriminates between different vector boson production models. Studies of $W+Jet$ production at CDF find the NLO QCD prediction for the production rate of $W+\ge 1Jet$ events to be in good agreement with the data.

8 pages, 6 figures, presented at XXXIIIrd Recontres de Moriond, QCD AND HIGH ENERGY HADRONIC INTERACTIONS,Les Arcs, Savoie, France, 1998