NLO corrections to W boson production in polarised proton-proton collisions

In this thesis, I calculate the spin-dependent next-to-leading order QCD corrections to the differential scattering cross section for W boson production by proton-proton collisions. Apart from the relevant Feynman diagrams, the crossing functions are derived as well, allowing a complete description of the hadronic scattering cross section to NLO as a function of hadron polarisation. This quantity can be used to calculate the polarisation asymmetry, which is very well suited for direct experimental measurement. Exploiting this possibility to directly compare theoretical results with experimental findings, one will be able to gain deeper insight into the spin-dependent parton distribution functions, which in turn will help in making further progress towards solving the proton spin puzzle.