W polarisation beyond helicity fractions in top quark decays

DOI10.1016/J.NUCLPHYSB.2010.07.012MaRDI QIDQ627902zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Juan-Miguel Gracia

Publication date 4 March 2011

Published in Nuclear Physics B (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1005.5382

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Nuclear physics (81V35) Inelastic and multichannel quantum scattering (81U35)

Abstract: We calculate the density matrix for the decay of a polarised top quark into a polarised W boson and a massive b quark, for the most general Wtb vertex arising from dimension-six gauge-invariant effective operators. We show that, in addition to the well-known W helicity fractions, for polarised top decays it is worth to define and study the transverse and normal W polarisation fractions, that is, the W polarisation along two directions orthogonal to its momentum. In particular, a rather simple forward-backward asymmetry in the normal direction is found to be very sensitive to complex phases in one of the Wtb anomalous couplings. This asymmetry, which indicates a normal W polarisation, can be generated for example by a P-odd, T-odd transition electric dipole moment. We also investigate the angular distribution of decay products in the top quark rest frame, calculating the spin analysing powers for a general Wtb vertex. Finally we show that, using a combined fit to top decay observables and the tW cross section, at LHC it will be possible to obtain model-independent measurements of all the (complex) Wtb couplings as well as the single top polarisation. Implications for spin correlations in top pair production are also discussed.

Recommendations

• Model-independent measurement of the top quark polarisation
• Probing anomalous \(tbW\) couplings in single-top production using top polarization at the Large Hadron Collider
• Spin-dependent energy distribution of B-hadrons from polarized top decays considering the azimuthal correlation rate
• \(W\) boson polarization as a measure of gauge-Higgs anomalous couplings at the LHC
• Distributions and correlations for top quark pair production and decay at the Tevatron and LHC

Cites work

• A minimal set of top-Higgs anomalous couplings
• CP violation and electric-dipole-moment at low energy production with polarized electrons
• \(Zt\), \(\gamma t\) and \(t\) production at hadron colliders via strong flavour-changing neutral couplings

Cited in

(11)

• Model-independent measurement of the top quark polarisation
• Spin-dependent energy distribution of B-hadrons from polarized top decays considering the azimuthal correlation rate
• Distributions and correlations for top quark pair production and decay at the Tevatron and LHC
• On measurement of top polarization as a probe of \(t\bar{t}\) production mechanisms at the LHC
• Top quark tensor couplings
• \(W\) boson polarization as a measure of gauge-Higgs anomalous couplings at the LHC
• Helicity contributions of \(W^+\)-boson in energy distribution of B-hadron in top quark decay
• The effects of standard model extensions on W-boson helicity ratios in top quark decay
• Parametrizations of the spin density matrix
• Measuring the polarization of boosted hadronic tops
• Probing anomalous \(tbW\) couplings in single-top production using top polarization at the Large Hadron Collider

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