Measurement of the W→τν production cross section in pp̅ collisions at √s=1.8TeV

We report on a measurement of σ(pp →W+X)B(W→τν) in pp collisions at √s=1.8TeV at the Fermilab Tevatron. The measurement is based on an integrated luminosity (lum) of 18pb -1 of data collected with the D0 detector during 1994–1995. We find that σ(pp →W+X)B(W→τν)=2.22±0.09(stat)±0.10(syst)±0.10(lum)nb. Lepton universality predicts that the ratio of the tau and electron electroweak charged current couplings to the W boson, g τ W /g e W , be unity. We find g τ W /g e W =0.980±0.031, in agreement with lepton universality.