Measurement of Spin Correlations in $t\bar{t}$ Events from $pp$ Collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV in the Lepton + Jets Final State with the ATLAS Detector

TL;DR

This paper measures the spin correlations of top-antitop quark pairs produced in proton-proton collisions at 7 TeV using the ATLAS detector, testing Standard Model predictions and searching for potential new physics effects.

Contribution

It presents the first measurement of top quark spin correlations in the lepton+jets channel at 7 TeV with detailed analysis and comparison to Standard Model predictions.

Findings

Measured spin correlation parameter $f_{SM}$ consistent with 1.0

Results show agreement with Standard Model predictions

Analysis method using azimuthal angle distributions

Abstract

The top quark decays before it hadronises. Before its spin state can be changed in a process of strong interaction, it is directly transferred to the top quark decay products. The top quark spin can be deduced by studying angular distributions of the decay products. The Standard Model predicts the top/anti-top quark ($t\bar{t}$) pairs to have correlated spins. The degree is sensitive to the spin and the production mechanisms of the top quark. Measuring the spin correlation allows to test the predictions. New physics effects can be reflected in deviations from the prediction. In this thesis the spin correlation of $t\bar{t}$ pairs, produced at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 7\,$TeV and reconstructed with the ATLAS detector, is measured. The dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of $4.6~\text{fb}^{-1}$. $t\bar{t}$ pairs are reconstructed in the $\ell$+jets channel using a kinematic likelihood fit offering the identification of light up- and down-type quarks from the $t \rightarrow bW \rightarrow bq\bar{q}'$ decay. The spin correlation is measured via the distribution of the azimuthal angle $\Delta\phi$ between two top quark spin analyzers in the laboratory frame. It is expressed as the degree of $t\bar{t}$ spin correlation predicted by the Standard Model, $f_{\text{SM}}$. The results of \begin{align*} &f_{\text{SM}}( \Delta\phi(\text{charged lepton, down-type quark} )) &= 1.53 \pm 0.14\,\text{(stat.)} \pm 0.32\,\text{(syst.)}, \\ &f_{\text{SM}} ( \Delta\phi(\text{charged lepton, b-quark} )) &= 0.53 \pm 0.18\,\text{(stat.)} \pm 0.49\,\text{(syst.)}, \\ &f_{\text{SM}} ( \Delta\phi(\text{combined})) &= 1.12 \pm 0.11\,\text{(stat.)} \pm 0.22\,\text{(syst.)}, \end{align*} are consistent with the Standard Model prediction of $f_{\text{SM}}= 1.0$.