Measurement of the polar-angle distribution of leptons from W boson decay as a function of the W transverse momentum in p(p)over-bar collisions at root s=1.8 TeV

We present a measurement of the polar-angle distribution of leptons from W boson decay, as a function of the W transverse momentum. The measurement uses an 80+/-4 pb(-1) sample of p (p) over bar collisions at roots=1.8 TeV collected by the CDF detector and includes data from both the W-->e+nu and W-->mu+nu decay channels. We fit the W boson transverse mass distribution to a set of templates from a Monte Carlo event generator and detector simulation in several ranges of the W transverse momentum. The measurement agrees with the standard model expectation, whereby the ratio of longitudinally to transversely polarized W bosons, in the Collins-Soper W rest frame, increases with the W transverse momentum at a rate of approximately 15% per 10 GeV/c. RI Lancaster, Mark/C-1693-2008; Ruiz, Alberto/E-4473-2011; De Cecco, Sandro/B-1016-2012; Wolter, Marcin/A-7412-2012; Prokoshin, Fedor/E-2795-2012; Chiarelli, Giorgio/E-8953-2012; Azzi, Patrizia/H-5404-2012