Single Top Quark Production Research Articles

Differential distributions for t-channel single top-quark production and decay at next-to-next-to-leading order in QCD

We present a detailed phenomenological study of the next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) QCD corrections for t-channel single top (anti-)quark production and its semi-leptonic decay at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). We find the NNLO corrections for the total inclusive rates at the LHC with different center of mass energies are generally smaller than the NLO corrections, indicative of improved convergence. However, they can be large for differential distributions, reaching a level of 10% or more in certain regions of the transverse momentum distributions of the top (anti-)quark and the pseudo-rapidity distributions of the leading jet in the event. In all cases the perturbative hard-scale uncertainties are greatly reduced after the NNLO corrections are included. We also show a comparison of the normalized parton-level distributions to recent data from the 8 TeV measurement of the ATLAS collaboration. The NNLO corrections tend to shift the theoretical predictions closer to the measured transverse momentum distribution of the top (anti)-quark. Importantly, for the LHC at 13 TeV, we present NNLO cross sections in a fiducial volume with decays of the top quark included.

Single top quark production as a probe of anomalous tqγ and tqZ couplings at the FCC-ee

In this paper, a detailed study to probe the top quark Flavour-Changing Neutral Currents (FCNC) tqγ and tqZ at the future e−e+ collider FCC-ee in two different center-of-mass energies of 240 and 350 GeV is presented. A set of useful variables are proposed and used in a multivariate technique to separate signal e−e+→Z/γ→tq¯ (t¯q) from Standard Model background processes. The study includes a fast detector simulation based on the delphes package to consider the detector effects. The upper limits on the FCNC branching ratios at 95% confidence level (CL) in terms of the integrated luminosity are presented. It is shown that with 300 fb−1 of integrated luminosity of data, FCC-ee would be able to exclude the effective coupling strengths above O(10−4−10−5) which is corresponding to branching fraction of O(0.01−0.001)%. We show that moving to a high-luminosity regime leads to a significant improvement on the upper bounds on the top quark FCNC couplings to a photon or a Z boson.

Fiducial, total and differential cross-section measurements of t-channel single top-quark production in pp collisions at 8\xa0TeV using data collected by the ATLAS detector

Detailed measurements of t-channel single top-quark production are presented. They use 20.2 fb^{-1} of data collected by the ATLAS experiment in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV at the LHC. Total, fiducial and differential cross-sections are measured for both top-quark and top-antiquark production. The fiducial cross-section is measured with a precision of 5.8% (top quark) and 7.8% (top antiquark), respectively. The total cross-sections are measured to be sigma _{text {tot}} (tq) = 56.7^{+4.3}_{-3.8};mathrm{pb} for top-quark production and sigma _{text {tot}} (bar{t} q) = 32.9^{+3.0}_{-2.7};mathrm{pb} for top-antiquark production, in agreement with the Standard Model prediction. In addition, the ratio of top-quark to top-antiquark production cross-sections is determined to be R_t=1.72 pm 0.09. The differential cross-sections as a function of the transverse momentum and rapidity of both the top quark and the top antiquark are measured at both the parton and particle levels. The transverse momentum and rapidity differential cross-sections of the accompanying jet from the t-channel scattering are measured at particle level. All measurements are compared to various Monte Carlo predictions as well as to fixed-order QCD calculations where available.

Cross section measurement of t-channel single top quark production in pp collisions at [formula omitted

The cross section for the production of single top quarks in the t channel is measured in proton–proton collisions at 13TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The analyzed data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 2.2fb−1. The event selection requires one muon and two jets where one of the jets is identified as originating from a bottom quark. Several kinematic variables are then combined into a multivariate discriminator to distinguish signal from background events. A fit to the distribution of the discriminating variable yields a total cross section of 238±13(stat)±29(syst) pb and a ratio of top quark and top antiquark production of Rt-ch.=1.81±0.18(stat)±0.15(syst). From the total cross section the absolute value of the CKM matrix element Vtb is calculated to be 1.05±0.07(exp)±0.02(theo). All results are in agreement with the standard model predictions.

Top quark FCNC couplings at future circular hadron electron colliders

A study of single top quark production via flavor changing neutral current interactions at $tq\gamma$ vertices is performed at future circular hadron electron collider. The signal cross sections for the processes $e^{-}p\to e^{-}W^{\pm}q+X$ and $e^{-}p\to e^{-}W^{\pm}bq+X$ in the collision of electron beam with energy $E_e=$ 60 GeV and proton beam with energy $E_p=$ 50 TeV are calculated. In the analysis, the invariant mass distributions of three jets reconstructing top quark mass, requiring one b-tagged jet and other two jets reconstructing the $W$ mass are used to count signal and background events after all selection cuts. The upper limits on the anomalous flavor changing neutral current $tq\gamma$ couplings are found to be $\lambda_q < $ 0.01 at future circular hadron electron collider for $L_{int}=100$ fb$^{-1}$ with the fast simulation of detector effects. Signal significance depending on the couplings $\lambda_q$ is analyzed and an enhanced sensitivity is found to the branching ratio BR($t\to q\gamma$) at the future circular hadron electron collider when compared to the current experimental results.

Recent results on flavor physics by CMS

Differential production cross sections of the B+ meson and of J/ψ, ψ(2S), and ϒ(nS) (n=1,2,3) vector mesons are measured in pp collisions at 13 TeV, as a function of transverse momentum and rapidity, using data collected by the CMS detector in 2015. The B+ is reconstructed in the decay channel B+→J/ψK+ and the five S-wave quarkonium states are reconstructed in the dimuon decay channel.The simultaneous production of two ϒ(1S) mesons in observed at s=8 TeV in a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of L=20.7 fb−1.The angular distributions and the differential branching fraction of the flavor changing neutral current decay B0→K⁎0μ+μ− are studied using data collected at s=8 TeV, as a function of the dimuon invariant mass squared.Flavor changing neutral currents in top quark couplings are searched through single top quark production in association with a photon, and in tt‾→Zq+Wb and tt‾→Hq+Wb decays, where Z→l+l− and H→γγ, WW, ZZ, τ+τ− and bb‾. The observed number of events agrees with the Standard Model prediction, and no evidence of flavor changing neutral currents is found.

Measurement of the inclusive cross-sections of single top-quark and top-antiquark t-channel production in pp collisions at sqrt{s}=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A measurement of the t-channel single-top-quark and single-top-antiquark production cross-sections in the lepton+jets channel is presented, using 3.2 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2015. Events are selected by requiring one charged lepton (electron or muon), missing transverse momentum, and two jets with high transverse momentum, exactly one of which is required to be b-tagged. Using a binned maximum-likelihood fit to the discriminant distribution of a neural network, the cross-sections are determined to be σ(tq) = 156 ± 5 (stat.) ± 27 (syst.) ± 3 (lumi.) pb for single top-quark production and sigma left(overline{t}qright)=91pm 4 (stat.) ± 18 (syst.) ± 2 (lumi.) pb for single top-antiquark production, assuming a top-quark mass of 172.5 GeV. The cross-section ratio is measured to be {R}_t=sigma (tq)/sigma left(overline{t}qright)=1.72pm 0.09 (stat.) ± 0.18 (syst.). All results are in agreement with Standard Model predictions.

Photon initiated single top quark production via flavor-changing neutral currents at the LHC

Single top quark production is a powerful process to search for new physics signs. In this work we propose and investigate a search for top quark flavor changing neutral currents (FCNC) via a photon using direct single top quark production events in proton-proton collisions at the LHC at CERN. We show that the direct single top quark final state can provide constraints on the strengths of tq$\gamma$ (top-quark-$\gamma$) and tqg (top-quark-gluon) FCNC couplings simultaneously. Results of a search for direct single top quark production at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV performed by the ATLAS collaboration are used to set first experimental limits on the anomalous FCNC top decay branching fractions ${\cal B}$(t$\rightarrow$ u$\gamma$) $<$ 0.05% and ${\cal B}$(t$\rightarrow$ c$\gamma$) $<$ 0.14% via direct single top quark production. Finally, the sensitivity of the proposed channel for probing the tq$\gamma$ couplings at 13 TeV is presented.

Search for anomalous Wtb couplings and flavour-changing neutral currents in t-channel single top quark production in pp collisions at sqrt{s}=7 and 8 TeV

Single top quark events produced in the t channel are used to set limits on anomalous Wtb couplings and to search for top quark flavour-changing neutral current (FCNC) interactions. The data taken with the CMS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at sqrt{s}=7 and 8 TeV correspond to integrated luminosities of 5.0 and 19.7 fb−1, respectively. The analysis is performed using events with one muon and two or three jets. A Bayesian neural network technique is used to discriminate between the signal and backgrounds, which are observed to be consistent with the standard model prediction. The 95% confidence level (CL) exclusion limits on anomalous right-handed vector, and left- and right-handed tensor Wtb couplings are measured to be |fVR| < 0.16, |fTL| < 0.057, and − 0.049 < fTR < 0.048, respectively. For the FCNC couplings κtug and κtcg, the 95% CL upper limits on coupling strengths are |κtug|/Λ < 4.1 × 10− 3 TeV−1 and |κtcg|/Λ < 1.8 × 10− 2 TeV−1, where Λ is the scale for new physics, and correspond to upper limits on the branching fractions of 2.0 × 10−5 and 4.1 × 10−4 for the decays t → ug and t → cg, respectively.

Modeling of anomalousWtbinteractions in single top quark events using subsidiary fields

A method to simulate anomalous fermion–boson interactions in Wtb vertex is presented with a minimal set of simulated samples of single top quark events at the LHC energies. In the proposed method, additional subsidiary vector fields corresponding to the Standard Model gauge fields are implemented for each type of the anomalous vertex structure. The method allows to simulate a manifestation of anomalous gauge couplings in two approaches used in experimental analyses either keeping only the linear order contributions in the anomalous couplings or keeping all contributions in numerators and denominators as appeared in matrix elements. For the processes with several anomalous couplings contributing simultaneously to the production and to the decay as well as to various interference terms the method allows to model correctly the dependence of kinematic distributions on anomalous couplings. The method shows how to generate a minimum set of event samples needed for a concrete analysis. All the single top quark production mechanisms, t-, s- and associative tW-channels, are considered. The correctness of the proposed method is demonstrated.

Probing the Anomalous Wtb couplings in different schemes of tWb associated production modeling

The impact of anomalous Wtb couplings on tWb process of the single top quark production has been tested in different schemes of tWb modeling. The scenario with right-handed vector operator (RV) in Wtb vertex with and without the presence of Standard model (SM) left-handed vector operator in Wtb vertex has been considered. It is shown that for anomalous Wtb couplings searches in tWb process usage of the full gauge invariant set of diagrams, with the same final state for the pair top quark production as well as for the single top quark production, is more justified than the usage of the schemes with deletion of some part of diagrams.

Highlights of top quark cross-section measurements at ATLAS

The highlights of the measurements of top quark production in proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider with the ATLAS detector are presented. The inclusive measurements of the top-pair production cross section have reached high precision and are compared to the best available theoretical calculations. The differential cross section measurements, including results using boosted top quarks, probe our understanding of top-pair production in the TeV regime. The results are compared to Monte Carlo generators implementing LO and NLO matrix elements matched with parton showers. Measurements of the single top quark production cross section are presented in the t -channel and s -channel, and with associated production with a W boson. For the t -channel production, results on the ratio between top quark and antitop quark production cross sections and differential measurements are also included.

Bounds on the Electromagnetic Dipole Moments through the Single Top Production at the CLIC

We obtain bounds on the anomalous magnetic and electric dipole moments of thet-quark from a future high-energy and high-luminosity linear electron positron collider, as the CLIC, with polarized and unpolarized electron beams which are powerful tools for determining new physics. We consider the processesγe-→t¯bνe(γis the Compton backscattering photon) ande+e-→e-γ⁎e+→t¯bνee+(γ⁎is the Weizsacker-Williams photon) as they are one of the most important sources of single top quark production. For systematic uncertainties ofδsys=0% (5%),b-tagging efficiency=0.8, center-of-mass energy ofs=3 TeV, and integrated luminosity ofL=2ab-1the futuree+e-collider may put bounds on the electromagnetic dipole momentsa^Vanda^Aof the top quark of the order ofO(10-2–10-1)at the2σ (3σ)level, which are competitive with those recently reported in previous studies at hadron colliders and the ILC.

Probing anomalous off-shell electroweak dipole moment of the top quark

A possibility to search for anomalous Wtb interaction ∂μWμ−b¯ f W L P L + f W R P R t is considered for the first time. Despite such couplings do not contribute to both pair top quark production or three main electroweak production modes, they could provide non-zero contributions to associated single top quark production with W or Z bosons or in association with two forward light jets via electroweak fusion diagrams.

WITHDRAWN: Cross section measurement of t-channel single top quark production in pp collisions at [formula omitted

WITHDRAWN: Cross section measurement of t-channel single top quark production in pp collisions at [formula omitted

The effect of the anomalous Wtb interactions on spin correlations in t-channel single top quark production with subsequent decay

Spin correlations in the t-channel single top quark production and its subsequent decay are investigated for the case of contributions involving anomalous Wtb couplings. It is shown that shapes of certain multidimensional kinematic distributions of final state particles are significantly different for the contributions proportional to different combinations of the anomalous couplings. Observed properties are confirmed by two methods of computations either from the obtained symbolic expression for the differential width of polarized three-particle top quark decay or by means of the CompHEP program for the complete process involving the t-channel single top.

Top quark production measurements using the ATLAS detector at the LHC

A selection from the inclusive top-quark pair production and single top-quark production cross-section measurements in proton-proton collisions with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider is presented, with data collected in 2012 and early 2015 at centre-of-mass energies of 8 TeV and 13 TeV, respectively.

Isospin asymmetry of quark distributions and implications for single top-quark production at the LHC

We present an improved determination of the up- and down-quark distributions in the proton using recent data on charged lepton asymmetries from $W^\pm$ gauge-boson production at the LHC and Tevatron. The analysis is performed in the framework of a global fit of parton distribution functions. The fit results are consistent with a non-zero iso-spin asymmetry of the sea, $x(\bar d - \bar u)$, at small values of Bjorken $x\sim 10^{-4}$ indicating a delayed onset of the Regge asymptotics of a vanishing $(\bar d - \bar u)$-asymmetry at small-$x$. We compare with up- and down-quark distributions available in the literature and provide accurate predictions for the production of single top-quarks at the LHC, a process which can serve as a standard candle for the light quark flavor content of the proton.

Search for anomalous couplings via single top quark production in association with a photon at LHC

Considering the experimental constraints given by CMS collaboration at $\sqrt{s} = 8$ TeV on the strength of top quark flavour-changing neutral-current (FCNC) couplings $tq\gamma$ and $tqg$, we investigate the production of top quark in association with a photon and carry out a full simulation for the signals $\ell\nu b\gamma$ and $jjb\gamma$ at 14 TeV LHC. In our numerical analysis, the contributions of single top production with a photon radiation off the top decay products are also included. The discovery potential for anomalous couplings $tq\gamma$ and $tqg$ with an integrated luminosity of 100 fb$^{-1}$ are examined in detail.

NNLO QCD corrections tot-channel single top quark production and decay

We present a fully differential next-to-next-to-leading order calculation of t-channel single top-quark production and decay at the LHC under narrow-width approximation and neglecting cross-talk between incoming protons. We focus on the fiducial cross sections at 13 TeV, finding that the next-to-next-to-leading order QCD corrections can reach the level of -6%. The scale variations are reduced to the level of a percent. Our results can be used to improve experimental acceptance estimates and the measurements of the single top-quark production cross section and the top-quark electroweak couplings.