Precise Study of the<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mi>Z</mml:mi><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:msup><mml:mi>γ</mml:mi><mml:mo>*</mml:mo></mml:msup></mml:math>Boson Transverse Momentum Distribution in<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mi>p</mml:mi><mml:mover accent="true"><mml:mi>p</mml:mi><mml:mo>¯</mml:mo></mml:mover></mml:math>Collisions Using a Novel Technique

Using 7.3 fb⁻¹ of pp collisions collected by the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron, we measure the distribution of the variable φ(η)*, which probes the same physical effects as the Z/γ* boson transverse momentum, but is less susceptible to the effects of experimental resolution and efficiency. A QCD prediction is found to describe the general features of the φ(η)* distribution, but is unable to describe its detailed shape or dependence on boson rapidity. A prediction that includes a broadening of transverse momentum for small values of the parton momentum fraction is strongly disfavored.