Search for Heavy Top-like Quarks t' -> Wq Using Lepton Plus Jets Events in 1.96 TeV Proton-Antiproton Collisions

TL;DR

This study searches for heavy top-like quarks (t') decaying to W bosons and quarks in proton-antiproton collisions, setting a lower mass limit of 256 GeV/c^2 due to no observed excess over standard model predictions.

Contribution

First to analyze proton-antiproton collision data for pair production of heavy top-like quarks t' using the CDF II detector and set mass exclusion limits.

Findings

No evidence for t' pair production was observed.

Excluded t' masses below 256 GeV/c^2 at 95% confidence level.

Data consistent with standard model background predictions.

Abstract

We present the results of a search for pair production of a new heavy top-like quark t' decaying to a W boson and another quark using the CDF II detector in Run II of the Tevatron proton-antiproton collider. Using a data sample corresponding to 760 pb^-1 of integrated luminosity, we fit the observed spectrum of total transverse energy and reconstructed t' quark mass to a combination of standard model processes and t' pair production. We see no evidence for t' pair production, and we infer a lower limit of 256 GeV/c^2 on the mass of the t' at 95% C.L. assuming standard strong couplings for the t'.