Modelling Wt and tWZ production at NLO for ATLAS analyses

The generation of single top production in the $Wt$ channel at NLO gives rise to doubly-resonant diagrams that overlap with $t \bar t$, and similarly for associated production with a $Z$ or Higgs boson. Several methods exist to remove this overlap, thus avoiding double counting and separating the two processes. In Diagram Removal 1, the amplitudes of doubly-resonant diagrams are set to zero, which also removes the interference of $Wt$ with $t \bar t$. If a measurement is performed in a region where this interference is not negligible, it would be of interest to take it into account. Another method, Diagram Subtraction, preserves the interference. However, it relies upon momentum reshuffling, which introduces uncertainties to the prediction. An alternative method, Diagram Removal 2, does not involve reshuffling and preserves the interference by subtracting the amplitude squared of the doubly-resonant diagrams from the total. The predictions of Diagram Removal 2 from MG5_aMC@NLO are compared with other predictions for $Wt$ and $tWZ$ production in the context of analyses at the ATLAS experiment. Implications of using Diagram Removal 2 are discussed, both for measurements of single top processes and when $Wt$ or $tWZ$ are treated as a background. Differential distributions are shown, investigating in what regions the predictions differ the most.Comment: Conference: The 9th International Workshop of Top Quark Physics 2016 5 pages including title page, 7 figure

Top and Higgs: Recent Theory developments

I review recent theory developments in the computation of Higgs production in association with top quarks, as well as the modelling of the corresponding backgrounds. In addition to progress within the Standard model I discuss higher-order corrections for the $t\bar{t}H$ process in the presence of new interactions.Comment: Talk given at the 10th International Workshop on Top Quark Physics (TOP 2017), 17th-22nd September, Braga, Portugal, to appear in the proceeding

Measurements of the top quark mass with the ATLAS detector

The top quark mass is one of the fundamental parameters of the Standard Model. In these proceedings, recent measurements of the top quark mass in $pp$ collisions at centre-of-mass energies of $\sqrt s=7$ and 8~TeV data in Run I of the Large Hadron Collider using the ATLAS detector are reviewed. A measurement using lepton+jets events is presented, where a multidimensional template fit is used to constrain the uncertainties on the energy measurements of jets. The measurement is combined with a measurement using dilepton events. In addition, novel measurements aiming to measure the mass in a well-defined scheme are presented. These measurements use precision theoretical QCD calculations for both inclusive $t\bar t$ production and $t\bar t$ production with an additional jet to extract the top quark mass in the pole mass scheme.Comment: 6 pages, presented at the EPS-HEP 2015 conference in Vienna, submitted to Po

Colored Particle Production in New Physics at NLO QCD and Its Matching to Parton Showers

In this talk, I show the automated Monte Carlo simulations at next-to-leading order in QCD as well as its matching to parton showers are already feasible within the framework of \MG5aMC. I briefly overview the recent activities and take the colored particle production at the LHC as examples. The tools and the models are ready for using by both phenomenologists and experimentalists.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, contribution to proceedings of XXIII Cracow EPIPHANY Conference, 9-12 January 2017, IFJ PAN, Cracow, Polan

Theoretical aspects of the study of top quark properties

We review some recent theoretical progresses towards the determination of the top-quark couplings beyond the standard model. We briefly introduce the global effective field theory approach to the top-quark production and decay processes, and discuss the most useful observables to constrain the deviations. Recent improvements with a focus on QCD corrections and corresponding tools are also discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures. Based on plenary talk given at LHCP2017, Shanghai, 15-20 May 201

Giving top quark effective operators a boost

We investigate the prospects to systematically improve generic effective field theory-based searches for new physics in the top sector during LHC run 2 as well as the high luminosity phase. In particular, we assess the benefits of high momentum transfer final states on top EFT-fit as a function of systematic uncertainties in comparison with sensitivity expected from fully-resolved analyses focusing on $t\bar t$ production. We find that constraints are typically driven by fully-resolved selections, while boosted top quarks can serve to break degeneracies in the global fit. This demystifies and clarifies the importance of high momentum transfer final states for global fits to new interactions in the top sector from direct measurements.Comment: Published versio

The Recoil Proton Polarization: a new discriminative DVCS observable

Generalized parton distributions describe the correlations between the longitudinal momentum and the transverse position of quarks and gluons in a nucleon. They can be constrained by measuring photon leptoproduction observables, arising from the interference between Bethe-Heitler and Deeply virtual Compton scattering processes. At leading-twist/leading-order, the amplitude of the latter is parameterized by complex integrals of the GPDs {H, E, \~H, \~E} . As data collected on an unpolarized or longitudinally polarized target constrains H and \~H, E is poorly known as it requires data collected with a transversely polarized target, which is very challenging to implement in fixed target experiments. The only alternative considered so far has been DVCS on a neutron with a deuterium target, while assuming isospin symmetry and absence of final-state interactions. Today, we introduce the polarization of the recoil proton as a new DVCS observable, highly sensitive to E, which appears feasible for an experimental study at a high-luminosity facility such as Jefferson Lab