Measurements of the associated production of a W boson and a charm quark in proton–proton collisions at √s = 8 TeV

Abstract

Measurements of the associated production of a W boson and a charm (cc) quark in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8TeVTeV are reported. The analysis uses a data sample corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 19.7fb−1fb−1 collected by the CMS detector at the LHC. The W bosons are identified through their leptonic decays to an electron or a muon, and a neutrino. Charm quark jets are selected using distinctive signatures of charm hadron decays. The product of the cross section and branching fraction σ(pp→W+c+X)B(W→ℓν)σ(pp→W+c+X)B(W→ℓν), where ℓ=eℓ=e or μμ, and the cross section ratio σ(pp→W++c¯+X)/σ(pp→W−+c+X)σ(pp→W++c¯+X)/σ(pp→W−+c+X) are measured in a fiducial volume and differentially as functions of the pseudorapidity and of the transverse momentum of the lepton from the W boson decay. The results are compared with theoretical predictions. The impact of these measurements on the determination of the strange quark distribution is assessed.