Discovery of Single Top Quark Production

Discovery of Single Top Quark Production PDF Author: Dag Gillberg
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1441977996
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 149

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Book Description
The top quark is by far the heaviest known fundamental particle with a mass nearing that of a gold atom. Because of this strikingly high mass, the top quark has several unique properties and might play an important role in electroweak symmetry breaking—the mechanism that gives all elementary particles mass. Creating top quarks requires access to very high energy collisions, and at present only the Tevatron collider at Fermilab is capable of reaching these energies. Until now, top quarks have only been observed produced in pairs via the strong interaction. At hadron colliders, it should also be possible to produce single top quarks via the electroweak interaction. Studies of single top quark production provide opportunities to measure the top quark spin, how top quarks mix with other quarks, and to look for new physics beyond the standard model. Because of these interesting properties, scientists have been looking for single top quarks for more than 15 years. This thesis presents the first discovery of single top quark production. It documents one of the flagship measurements of the D0 experiment, a collaboration of more than 600 physicists from around the world. It describes first observation of a physical process known as “single top quark production”, which had been sought for more than 10 years before its eventual discovery in 2009. Further, his thesis describes, in detail, the innovative approach Dr. Gillberg took to this analysis. Through the use of Boosted Decision Trees, a machine-learning technique, he observed the tiny single top signal within an otherwise overwhelming background. This Doctoral Thesis has been accepted by Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Discovery of Single Top Quark Production

Discovery of Single Top Quark Production PDF Author: Dag Gillberg
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1441977996
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 149

Get Book Here

Book Description
The top quark is by far the heaviest known fundamental particle with a mass nearing that of a gold atom. Because of this strikingly high mass, the top quark has several unique properties and might play an important role in electroweak symmetry breaking—the mechanism that gives all elementary particles mass. Creating top quarks requires access to very high energy collisions, and at present only the Tevatron collider at Fermilab is capable of reaching these energies. Until now, top quarks have only been observed produced in pairs via the strong interaction. At hadron colliders, it should also be possible to produce single top quarks via the electroweak interaction. Studies of single top quark production provide opportunities to measure the top quark spin, how top quarks mix with other quarks, and to look for new physics beyond the standard model. Because of these interesting properties, scientists have been looking for single top quarks for more than 15 years. This thesis presents the first discovery of single top quark production. It documents one of the flagship measurements of the D0 experiment, a collaboration of more than 600 physicists from around the world. It describes first observation of a physical process known as “single top quark production”, which had been sought for more than 10 years before its eventual discovery in 2009. Further, his thesis describes, in detail, the innovative approach Dr. Gillberg took to this analysis. Through the use of Boosted Decision Trees, a machine-learning technique, he observed the tiny single top signal within an otherwise overwhelming background. This Doctoral Thesis has been accepted by Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Observation of Single Top Quark Production and Measurement of

Observation of Single Top Quark Production and Measurement of PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 62

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Book Description
We report the observation of electroweak single top quark production in 3.2 fb−1 of p{bar p} collision data collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab at √s = 1.96 TeV. Candidate events in the W+jets topology with a leptonically decaying W boson are classified as signal-like by four parallel analyses based on likelihood functions, matrix elements, neural networks, and boosted decision trees. These results are combined using a super discriminant analysis based on genetically evolved neural networks in order to improve the sensitivity. This combined result is further combined with that of a search for a single top quark signal in an orthogonal sample of events with missing transverse energy plus jets and no charged lepton. We observe a signal consistent with the standard model prediction but inconsistent with the background-only model by 5.0 standard deviations, with a median expected sensitivity in excess of 5.9 standard deviations. We measure a production cross section of 2.3{sub -0.5}{sup +0.6}(stat + sys) pb, extract the CKM matrix element value.

Observation of Single Top Quark Production

Observation of Single Top Quark Production PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 8

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Book Description
The author reports on the observation of electroweak production of single top quarks in p{bar p} collisions at (square root)s = 1.96 Tev using 2.3 fb−1 of data collected with the D0 detector at the fermilab Tevatron Collider. Using events containing an isolated electron or muon, missing transverse energy, two, three or four jets, with one or two of them identified as originating from the fragmentation of a b quark, the measured cross section for the process p{bar p} --> tb + X, tqb + X is 3.94 ± 0.88 pb (for a top quark mass of 170 GeV). the probability to measure a cross section at this value or higher in the absence of signal is 2.5 x 10−7, corresponding to a 5.0 standard deviation significance. Using the same dataset, the measured cross sections for the t- and the s-channel processes when determined simultaneously with no assumption on their relative production rate are 3.14{sub -0.80}{sup +0.94} pb and 1.05 ± 0.81 pb respectively, consistent with standard model expectations. The measured t-channel cross section has a significance of 4.8 standard deviations, representing the first evidence for the production of an individual single top process to be detected.

Observation of S-channel Production of Single Top Quarks at the Tevatron

Observation of S-channel Production of Single Top Quarks at the Tevatron PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
We report the first observation of single-top-quark production in the s channel through the combination of the CDF and D0 measurements of the cross section in proton-antiproton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV. The data correspond to total integrated luminosities of up to 9.7 fb-1 per experiment. The measured cross section is $\sigma_s = 1.29^{+0.26}_{-0.24}$ pb. The probability of observing a statistical fluctuation of the background to a cross section of the observed size or larger is $1.8 \times 10^{-10}$, corresponding to a significance of 6.3 standard deviations for the presence of an s-channel contribution to the production of single-top quarks.

Top Quark Pair Production

Top Quark Pair Production PDF Author: Anna Christine Henrichs
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3319014870
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 231

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Book Description
Before any kind of new physics discovery could be made at the LHC, a precise understanding and measurement of the Standard Model of particle physics' processes was necessary. The book provides an introduction to top quark production in the context of the Standard Model and presents two such precise measurements of the production of top quark pairs in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV that were observed with the ATLAS Experiment at the LHC. The presented measurements focus on events with one charged lepton, missing transverse energy and jets. Using novel and advanced analysis techniques as well as a good understanding of the detector, they constitute the most precise measurements of the quantity at that time.

Uncovering the Single Top

Uncovering the Single Top PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781109413762
Category : Electroweak interactions
Languages : en
Pages : 360

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Book Description
The top quark is generally produced in quark and anti-quark pairs. However, the Standard Model also predicts the production of only one top quark which is mediated by the electroweak interaction, known as 'Single Top'. Single Top quark production is important because it provides a unique and direct way to measure the CKM matrix element V{sub tb}, and can be used to explore physics possibilities beyond the Standard Model predictions. This dissertation presents the results of the observation of Single Top using 2.3 fb−1 of Data collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. The analysis includes the Single Top muon+jets and electron+jets final states and employs Boosted Decision Tress as a method to separate the signal from the background. The resulting Single Top cross section measurement is: (1) [sigma](p{bar p} → tb + X, tqb + X) = 3.74{sub -0.74}{sup +0.95} pb, where the errors include both statistical and systematic uncertainties. The probability to measure a cross section at this value or higher in the absence of signal is p = 1.9 x 10−6. This corresponds to a standard deviation Gaussian equivalence of 4.6. When combining this result with two other analysis methods, the resulting cross section measurement is: (2) [sigma](p{bar p} → tb + X, tqb + X) = 3.94 ± 0.88 pb, and the corresponding measurement significance is 5.0 standard deviations.

Observation of Single Top Quark Production at the Tevatron

Observation of Single Top Quark Production at the Tevatron PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 4

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Book Description
This paper reports on the first observation of electroweak production of single top quarks by the D0 and CDF collaborations. At Fermilab's 1.96 TeV proton-antiproton collider, a few thousand events are selected from several inverse femtobarns of data that contain an isolated electron or muon and/or missing transverse energy, together with jets that originate from the decays of b quarks. Using sophisticated multivariate analyses to separate signal from background, the D0 collaboration measures a cross section [sigma] (p{bar p} → tb + X, tqb + X) = 3.94 ± 0.88 pb (for a top quark mass of 170 GeV) and the CDF collaboration measures a value of 2.3{sub -0.5}{sup +0.6} pb (for a top quark mass of 175 GeV). These values are consistent with theoretical predictions at next-to-leading order precision. Both measurements have a significance of 5.0 standard deviations, meeting the benchmark to be considered unambiguous observation.

Observation of Electroweak Single Top-Quark Production with the CDF II Experiment

Observation of Electroweak Single Top-Quark Production with the CDF II Experiment PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
The standard model of elementary particle physics (SM) predicts, besides the top-quark pair production via the strong interaction, also the electroweak production of single top-quarks [19]. Up to now, the Fermilab Tevatron proton-antiproton-collider is the only place to produce and study top quarks emerging from hadron-hadron-collisions. Top quarks were directly observed in 1995 during the Tevatron Run I at a center-of-mass energy of √s = 1.8 TeV simultaneously by the CDF and D0 Collaborations via the strong production of top-quark pairs. Run II of the Tevatron data taking period started 2001 at √s = 1.96 TeV after a five year upgrade of the Tevatron accelerator complex and of both experiments. One main component of its physics program is the determination of the properties of the top quark including its electroweak production. Even though Run II is still ongoing, the study of the top quark is already a successful endeavor, confirmed by dozens of publications from both Tevatron experiments. A comprehensive review of top-quark physics can be found in reference. The reasons for searching for single top-quark production are compelling. As the electroweak top-quark production proceeds via a Wtb vertex, it provides the unique opportunity of the direct measurement of the CKM matrix element.

Observation of S-Channel Single Top Quark Production at the Tevatron

Observation of S-Channel Single Top Quark Production at the Tevatron PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 157

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Book Description
Testing the Standard Model (SM) and looking for new phenomena have been the focus of generations of particle physicists in the last decades. Following this spirit, this thesis presents two searches. The first is the search for single top quark production from the exchange of an s-channel virtual W boson using events with an imbalance in the total transverse energy, b-tagged jets, and no identified leptons. Assuming the electroweak production of top quarks of mass 172.5 GeV/c2 in the s-channel, a cross section of 1.12+0.61 -0.57 (stat+syst) pb, with a significance of 1.9 standard deviations, is measured. This measurement is combined with the result obtained from events with an imbalance in total transverse momentum, b-tagged jets, and exactly one identified lepton, yielding a cross section of 1.36+0.37 -0.322 (stat+syst) pb, with a significance of 4.2 standard deviations. The first observation of single-top-quark production in the s channel through the combination of the CDF and D0 measurements is also reported. The measured cross section is [sigma]s = 1.29+0.26 -0.244 pb. The probability of observing a statistical fluctuation of the background to a cross section of the observed size or larger is 1.8 10-10, corresponding to a significance of 6.3 standard deviation. The second is the search for W'-like resonances decaying to tb. No significant excess above the SM prediction is found. Using a benchmark W' → tb left-right symmetric model, 95% C.L. mass-dependent upper limits are placed on the W0 boson production cross section times branching ratio to tb. Assuming a W' boson with SM-like couplings and allowed (forbidden) decay to leptons, W' → tb is excluded with 95% C.L. for W' boson masses below 860 (880) GeV/c2. Relaxing the hypothesis on SM-like couplings, we exclude W' boson coupling strength values as a function of the W' boson mass above 10% of the SM coupling strength for MW' = 300 GeV/c2. The constraints obtained with the present analysis are the most stringent for charged resonance masses below 570 GeV/c2 decaying to a top and a bottom quark.

Observation of $t$-channel Electroweak Top Quark Production

Observation of $t$-channel Electroweak Top Quark Production PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 159

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Book Description
The top quark is the heaviest known fundamental particle, with a mass of 172.0+0.9-1.3GeV. This is nearly twice the mass of the second heaviest known particle, the Z boson, and roughly the mass of a gold atom. Because of its unusually large mass, studying the top quark may provide insight into the Higgs mechanism and other beyond the standard model physics. Only two accelerators in the world are powerful enough to produce top quarks. The Tevatron, which first accelerated protons in 1983, has produced almost 400,000 top quarks, roughly half at each of its two detectors: DO and CDF. The LHC is a much newer accelerator which currently has accumulated about 0.5% as much data as the Tevatron. However, when running at full luminosity, the LHC is capable of producing a top quark about once every second and will quickly surpass the Tevatron as the leading producer of top quarks. This analysis uses data from the DØ detector at the Tevatron, which are described in chapter 3. Top quarks are produced most often in pairs of top and anti-top quarks through an interaction of the strong force. This production mode was first observed in 1995 at the Tevatron. However, top quarks can also be produced though an electroweak interaction, which produces just one top quark. This production mode was first observed at the Tevatron in 2008. Single top quark production can occur in different channels. In this analysis, a measurement of the cross section of the t-channel production mode is performed. This measurement uses 5.4 fb-1 of data and uses the technique of boosted decision trees in order to separate signal from background events. The t-channel cross section is measured to be: ?(p$ar{p}$ → tqb + X) = 3.03+0.78-0.66 pb (0.0.1). Additional cross section measurements were also performed for the s-channel as well as the s + t-channel. The measurement of each one of these three cross sections was repeated three times using different techniques, and all three methods were combined into a 'super-method' which achieves the best performance. The details of these additional measurements are shown in appendix A.