Early physics with top quarks at the LHC

TL;DR

This paper discusses the potential for early top quark physics studies at the LHC, emphasizing the initial analyses possible with limited data from proton-proton collisions.

Contribution

It highlights the opportunities for top quark physics research during the initial phase of LHC operations with limited integrated luminosity.

Findings

Potential for early top quark measurements at the LHC

Expected number of top events with limited data

Initial physics studies feasible with ≤10 fb⁻¹

Abstract

The ATLAS and CMS experiments are now in their final installation phase and will be soon ready to study the physics of proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider. The LHC, by producing 2 $t\bar{t}$ events per second, will provide more than 8 million top events a year at start-up. In this paper, particular emphasis is given to the $t\bar{t}$ physics studies that can be performed at the beginning of the LHC running, with a limited amount of integrated luminosity ($\le$10 fb$^{-1}$).