The Top Quark as a Window to Beyond the Standard Model Physics

Abstract

The top quark was the last of the Standard Model quarks to be discovered, and is of considerable interest. The closeness of the top quark mass to the electroweak scale is suggestive that the top quark could be closely related to the mechanisms for electroweak symmetry breaking. Any new physics in electroweak symmetry breaking models could then preferentially couple to the top quark, making the top quark a promising probe for new physics. In this thesis, we will explore two aspects of the top quark as a harbinger to new physics: the top forward-backward asymmetry as seen at the Tevatron and the search for stops. In this thesis, we will discuss the Asymmetric Left-Right Model (ALRM), a model that is based on the gauge group $U'(1)\times SU(2)\times SU'(2)$ with couplings $g_1^\prime, g_2^\prime,$ and $g'$ associated with the fields $B',W,W'$, respectively, and show how this model can explain the top forward-backward asymmetry. We will then explore the scalar sector of the ALRM, and provide a specific Higgs mechanism that provides the masses for the $W'$ and $Z'$ bosons. The top forward-backward asymmetry is a test of invariance of charge-conjugation. Thus, we look at the $X$-gluon model, a model that was motivated by the top forward-backward asymmetry, and show that one can look at the longitudinal polarization of the top-quark to test parity conservation. Finally, we investigate searches for stop squarks, the supersymmetric partner of the top quark, at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) using shape-based analyses.