Measurement of the p(p)over-bar -> W plus b plus X production cross section at root s=1.96 TeV D0 Collaboration

We present a measurement of the cross section for W boson production in association with at least one b-quark jet in proton-antiproton collisions. The measurement is made using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 6.1 fb(-1) recorded with the DO detector at the Fermilab Tevatron p (p) over bar Collider at root s = 1.96 TeV. We measure an inclusive cross section of sigma(W(-> mu nu) + b + X) = 1.04 +/- 0.05 (stat.) +/- 0.12 (syst.) pb and sigma(W (-> e nu) + b + X) = 1.00 +/- 0.04 (stat.) +/- 0.12 (syst.) pb in the phase space defined by p(T)(nu) > 25 GeV, p(T)(b-jet) > 20 GeV, vertical bar eta(b-jet)vertical bar < 1.1, and a muon (electron) with p(T)(l) > 20 GeV and vertical bar eta(mu)vertical bar < 1.7 (vertical bar eta(e)vertical bar < 1.1 or 1.5 < vertical bar eta(e)vertical bar < 2.5). The combined result per lepton family is sigma(W(-> l nu) + b + X) = 1.05 +/- 0.12 (stat. + syst.) pb for vertical bar eta(l)vertical bar < 1.7. The results are in agreement with predictions from next-to-leading order QCD calculations using MCFM, sigma (W + b) B(W -> l nu) = 1.34(-0.34)(+0.41) (syst.) pb, and also with predictions from the SHERPA and MADGRAPH Monte Carlo event generators. Published by Elsevier B.V.