2 research outputs found
ATLAS sensitivity to top quark and W boson polarization in events
Stringent tests on top quark production and decay mechanisms are provided by
the measurement of the top quark and W boson polarization. This paper presents
a detailed study of these two measurements with the ATLAS detector, in the
semileptonic (ttbar -> W W b bbar -> l nu j1 j2 b bbar) and dileptonic (ttbar
-> W W b bbar -> l nu l nu b bbar) ttbar channels. It is based on leading-order
Monte Carlo generators and on a fast simulation of the detector. A particular
attention is paid to the systematic uncertainties, which dominate the
statistical errors after one LHC year at low luminosity (10 fb^{-1}), and to
the background estimate. Combining results from both channel studies, the
longitudinal component of the W polarization (F\_0) can be measured with a 2%
accuracy and the right-handed component (F\_R) with a 1% precision with 10
fb^{-1}. Even though the top quarks in ttbar pairs are not polarized, a large
asymmetry is expected within the Standard Model in the like-spin versus
unlike-spin pair production. A 4% precision on this asymmetry measurement is
possible with 10 fb^{-1}, after combining results from both channel studies.
These promising results are converted in a sensitivity to new physics, such as
tWb anomalous couplings, top decay to charged Higgs boson, or new s-channels
(heavy resonance, gravitons) in ttbar production.Comment: 41+2 pages, 20 figures, ATLAS scientific note SN-ATLAS-2005-05