Single top quark events at Fermilab

According to a press release dated 9 March 2009, the two experiments CDF (Collider Detector at Fermilab) and DZero have announced the discovery of ‘single top quark’ events, which represent a spectacular discovery and confirmation of the standard model of elementary particle physics. The results of their findings are now available as preprints which have been submitted for publication in Physical Review Letters1,2.

Measurement of the Single Top Quark Production Cross Section at CDF

We report a measurement of the single top quark production cross section in 2.2 ~fb-1 of p-pbar collision data collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV. Candidate events are classified as signal-like by three parallel analyses which use likelihood, matrix element, and neural network discriminants. These results are combined in order to improve the sensitivity. We observe a signal consistent with the standard model prediction, but inconsistent with the background-only model by 3.7 standard deviations with a median expected sensitivity of 4.9 standard deviations. We measure a cross section of 2.2 +0.7 -0.6(stat+sys) pb, extract the CKM matrix element value |V_{tb}|=0.88 +0.13 -0.12 (stat+sys) +- 0.07(theory), and set the limit |V_{tb}|>0.66 at the 95% C.L.

Search for single top quark production in pp̅ collisions at √s=1.96 TeV in the missing transverse energy plus jets topology

We report a search for single top quark production with the CDF II detector using 2.1 fb-1 of integrated luminosity of pbar p collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV. The data selected consist of events characterized by large energy imbalance in the transverse plane and hadronic jets, and no identified electrons and muons, so the sample is enriched in W -> tau nu decays. In order to suppress backgrounds, additional kinematic and topological requirements are imposed through a neural network, and at least one of the jets must be identified as a b-quark jet. We measure an excess of signal-like events in agreement with the standard model prediction, but inconsistent with a model without single top quark production by 2.1 standard deviations (sigma), with a median expected sensitivity of 1.4 sigma. Assuming a top quark mass of 175 GeV/c2 and ascribing the excess to single top quark production, the cross section is measured to be 4.9+2.5-2.2(stat+syst)pb, consistent with measurements performed in independent datasets and with the standard model prediction.

Observation of single top quark production and measurement of |Vtb| with CDF

We report the observation of electroweak single top quark production in 3.2  fb-1 of pp̅ 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 2.3-0.5+0.6(stat+sys)  pb, extract the value of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element |Vtb|=0.91-0.11+0.11(stat+sys)±0.07  (theory), and set a lower limit |Vtb|>0.71 at the 95% C.L., assuming mt=175  GeV/c2.

Observation of single top quark production and measurement of |Vtb| with CDF

We report the observation of electroweak single top quark production in 3.2 fb-1 of ppbar collision data collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab at sqrt{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+0.6-0.5(stat+sys) pb, extract the CKM matrix element value |Vtb|=0.91+0.11-0.11 (stat+sys)+-0.07(theory), and set a lower limit |Vtb|>0.71 at the 95% confidence level, assuming m_t=175 GeVc^2.

Measurement of the Single-Top-Quark Production Cross Section at CDF

We report a measurement of the single top quark production cross section in 2.2 ~fb-1 of p-pbar collision data collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV. Candidate events are classified as signal-like by three parallel analyses which use likelihood, matrix element, and neural network discriminants. These results are combined in order to improve the sensitivity. We observe a signal consistent with the standard model prediction, but inconsistent with the background-only model by 3.7 standard deviations with a median expected sensitivity of 4.9 standard deviations. We measure a cross section of 2.2 +0.7 -0.6(stat+sys) pb, extract the CKM matrix element value |V_{tb}|=0.88 +0.13 -0.12 (stat+sys) +- 0.07(theory), and set the limit |V_{tb}|>0.66 at the 95% C.L.

Observation of Electroweak Single Top-Quark Production

We report the first observation of single top quark production using 3.2 fb^-1 of pbar p collision data with sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab. The significance of the observed data is 5.0 standard deviations, and the expected sensitivity for standard model production and decay is in excess of 5.9 standard deviations. Assuming m_t=175 GeV/c^2, we measure a cross section of 2.3 +0.6 -0.5 (stat+syst) pb, extract the CKM matrix element value |V_{tb}|=0.91 +-0.11 (stat+syst) 0.07(theory), and set the limit |V_{tb}|>0.71 at the 95% C.L.

Search for production of single top quarks via tcg and tug flavor-changing-neutral-current couplings

We search for the production of single top quarks via flavor-changing-neutral-current couplings of a gluon to the top quark and a charm (c) or up (u) quark. We analyze 230 pb(-1) of lepton+jets data from p (p) over tilde collisions at a center of mass energy of 1.96 TeV collected by the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We observe no significant deviation from standard model predictions, and hence set upper limits on the anomalous coupling parameters kappa(c)(g)/Lambda and kappa(u)(g)/Lambda, where kappa(g) define the strength of tcg and tug couplings, and Lambda defines the scale of new physics. The limits at 95% C.L. are kappa(c)(g)/Lambda < 0.15 TeV-1 and kappa(u)(g)/Lambda < 0.037 TeV-1.

Search for single top quark production in pp collisions at root s=1.96 TeV

We present a search for electroweak production of single top quarks in the s-channel and t-channel using neural networks for signal-background separation. We have analyzed 230 pb(-1) of data collected with the DO detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV and find no evidence for a single top quark signal. The resulting 95% confidence level upper limits on the single top quark production cross sections are 6.4 pb in the s-channel and 5.0 ph in the t-channel. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evidence for production of single top quarks and first direct measurement of vertical bar V-tb vertical bar

The D0 Collaboration presents first evidence for the production of single top quarks at the Fermilab Tevatron < p(p)over bar > collider. Using a 0.9 fb(-1) dataset, we apply a multivariate analysis to separate signal from background and measure sigma(< p(p)over bar >-> tb+X,tqb+X)=4.9 +/- 1.4 pb. The probability to measure a cross section at this value or higher in the absence of a signal is 0.035%, corresponding to a 3.4 standard deviation significance. We use the cross section measurement to directly determine the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element that describes the Wtb coupling and find 0.68

Multivariate searches for single top quark production with the D0 detector

We present a search for electroweak production of single top quarks in the s-channel (p (p) over bar -> t (b) over bar +X) and t-channel (p (p) over bar -> tq (b) over bar +X) modes. We have analyzed 230 pb(-1) of data collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of root s=1.96 TeV. No evidence for a single top quark signal is found. We set 95% confidence level upper limits on the production cross sections, based on binned likelihoods formed from a neural network output. The observed (expected) limits are 6.4 pb (4.5 pb) in the s-channel and 5.0 pb (5.8 pb) in the t-channel.

Measurement of the t-channel single top quark production cross section

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Search for single top quarks in the tau plus jets channel using 4.8 fb(-1) of p(p)over-bar collision data

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Search for flavor changing neutral currents via quark-gluon couplings in single top quark production using 2.3 fb(-1) of p(p)over-bar collisions

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)