This paper describes a measurement of the $W$ boson transverse momentum distribution using ATLAS $pp$ collision data from the 2010 run of the LHC at $\sqrt{s}=7\mathrm{TeV}$, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about $31{\mathrm{pb}}^{-1}$. Events form both $W\to e\nu$ and $W\to \mu \nu$ are used, and the transverse momentum of the $W$ candidates is measured through the energy deposition in the calorimeter from the recoil of the $W$. The resulting distributions are unfolded to obtain the normalized differential cross sections as a function of the $W$ boson transverse momentum. We present results for $p_T^W<300\mathrm{GeV}$ in the electron and muon channels as well as for their combination, and compare the combined results to the predictions of perturbative QCD and a selection of event generators.

• Received 31 August 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.85.012005

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© 2012 CERN, for the ATLAS Collaboration