We present a comprehensive analysis of inclusive $W(\to e\nu )+n\mathrm{\text{-jet}}$ ($n\ge 1$, 2, 3, 4) production in proton-antiproton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV at the Tevatron collider using a $3.7{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$ data set collected by the D0 detector. Differential cross sections are presented as a function of the jet rapidities ($y$), lepton transverse momentum ($p_T$) and pseudorapidity ($\eta$), the scalar sum of the transverse energies of the $W$ boson and all jets ($H_T$), leading dijet $p_T$ and invariant mass, dijet rapidity separations for a variety of jet pairings for $p_T$-ordered and angular-ordered jets, dijet opening angle, dijet azimuthal angular separations for $p_T$-ordered and angular-ordered jets, and $W$ boson transverse momentum. The mean number of jets in an event containing a $W$ boson is measured as a function of $H_T$, and as a function of the rapidity separations between the two highest-$p_T$ jets and between the most widely separated jets in rapidity. Finally, the probability for third-jet emission in events containing a $W$ boson and at least two jets is studied by measuring the fraction of events in the inclusive $W+2\mathrm{\text{-jet}}$ sample that contain a third jet over a $p_T$ threshold. The analysis employs a regularized singular value decomposition technique to accurately correct for detector effects and for the presence of backgrounds. The corrected data are compared to particle level next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD predictions, predictions from all-order resummation approaches, and a variety of leading-order and matrix element plus parton shower event generators. Regions of the phase space where there is agreement or disagreement with the data are discussed for the different models tested.

• Received 26 February 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.88.092001