Measurement of the mass and width of the W boson

The mass and width of the W boson are measured using e⁺e^– → W⁺W^– events from the data sample collected by the OPAL experiment at LEP at centre-of-mass energies between 170 GeV and 209 GeV. The mass (m_W) and width (Γ_W) are determined using direct reconstruction of the kinematics of W⁺W^– → and W⁺W^– → events. When combined with previous OPAL measurements using W⁺W^– → events and the dependence on of the WW production cross-section at threshold, the results are determined to be where the first error is statistical, the second systematic and the third due to uncertainties in the value of the LEP beam energy. By measuring in the channel using several different determinations of the direction of jets with differing sensitivities to soft particles, a limit is also obtained on possible final-state interactions due to colour reconnection effects inW⁺W^– → events. The consistency of the results for the W mass and width with those inferred from other electroweak parameters provides an important test of the Standard Model of electroweak interactions. Arrival of the final proofs: 28 November 2005 This paper is dedicated to the memory of Steve O'Neale