An Improved W Boson Mass Measurement Using the Collider Detector at Fermilab

The mass of the W boson is one of the most important parameters in the Standard Model. A precise measurement of the W boson mass, together with a precise measurement of the top quark mass, can constrain the mass of the undiscovered Higgs boson within the Standard Model framework or give a hint for physics beyond the Standard Model. This dissertation describes a measurement of the W boson mass through its decay into a muon and a neutrino using ~ 2.2 fb-1 of √ s = 1.96 TeV p$$\bar{p}$$ data taken with the CDF II detector at Fermilab. We measure the W boson mass to be (80.374 ± 0.015stat. ± 0.016syst.) GeV/c2. This result, when combined with the W mass measurement in the electron channel, leads to the single most precise mW value and greatly constrains the possible mass range of the undiscovered Higgs boson. iv