Measurement of the $W$ Charge Asymmetry in the $W \rightarrow \mu\nu$ Decay Mode in $pp$ Collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV with the ATLAS detector

Abstract

This letter reports a measurement of the muon charge asymmetry from $W$ bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. The asymmetry is measured in the $W \rightarrow \mu\nu$ decay mode as a function of the muon pseudorapidity using a data sample corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 31 pb$^{-1}$. The results are compared to predictions based on next-to-leading order calculations with various parton distribution functions. This measurement provides information on the $u$ and $d$ quark momentum fractions in the proton.