This paper presents measurements of the $W^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu$ and $W^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu$ cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of $20.2~\mbox{fb$^{-1}$}$. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.
The correction factors, $C_{W^±,i}$ with their associated systematic uncertainties as a function of $|\eta_{\mu}|$, for $W^+$ and $W^−$
The integrated global correction factor $C_{W^±}$, for $W^+$ and $W^−$
Cross-sections (differential in $\eta_{\mu}$) and asymmetry, as a function of $|\eta_{\mu}|$). The central values are provided along with the statistical and dominant systematic uncertainties: the data statistical uncertainty (Data Stat.), the $E_T^{\textrm{miss}}$ uncertainty, the uncertainties related to muon reconstruction (Muon Reco.), those related to the background, those from MC statistics (MC Stat.), and modelling uncertainties. The uncertainties of the cross-sections are given in percent and those of the asymmetry as an absolute difference from the nominal.