Measurement of spin correlation in ttbar production using a matrix element approach

Abstract

correlation, assuming that the spin of the top quark is either correlated with the spin of the anti-top quark as predicted by the standard model or is uncorrelated. For the first time we use a matrix-element-based approach to study ttbar spin correlation. We use {ttbar -> W+bW-bbar ->l+nubl-nub} final states produced in ppbar collisions at a center of mass energy sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV, where l denotes an electron or a muon. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb-1 and were collected with the dzero detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. The result agrees with the standard model prediction. We exclude the hypothesis that the spins of the ttbar are uncorrelated at the 97.7% C.L.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let