Search for New Physics Involving Top Quarks at ATLAS

TL;DR

This paper reports on two searches for new physics involving top quarks at the ATLAS detector, setting limits on top partner masses and resonance production cross-sections, with no evidence of new phenomena found.

Contribution

First limits from the LHC on top partner masses and ttbar resonance production, using early ATLAS data at 7 TeV.

Findings

Excluded top partner masses below 275-300 GeV depending on neutral particle mass.

Set 95% CL limits on Z' resonance production cross-section from 38 pb to 3.2 pb.

Excluded Kaluza-Klein gluons below 650 GeV in Randall-Sundrum models.

Abstract

Two searches for new phenomena involving top quarks are presented: a search for a top partner in ttbar events with large missing transverse momentum, and a search for ttbar resonances in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. The measurements are based on 35 pb^-1 and 200 pb^-1 of data collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2010 and 2011, respectively. No evidence for a signal is observed. The first limits from the LHC are established on the mass of a top partner, excluding a mass of 275 GeV for a neutral particle mass less than 50 GeV and a mass of 300 GeV for a neutral particle mass less than 10 GeV. Using the reconstructed ttbar mass spectrum, limits are set on the production cross-section times branching ratio to ttbar for narrow and wide resonances. For narrow Z' models, the observed 95% C.L. limits range from approximately 38 pb to 3.2 pb for masses going from m_Z' = 500 GeV to m_Z' = 1300 GeV. In Randall-Sundrum models, Kaluza-Klein gluons with masses below 650 GeV are excluded at 95% C.L.