Limits on the anomalous $Wtq$ couplings

TL;DR

This paper investigates the limits on anomalous top quark couplings involving $Wtq$ interactions within a model-independent effective field theory framework, using collider and flavor physics data to set bounds.

Contribution

It provides updated bounds on flavor-changing and flavor-diagonal $Wtq$ couplings based on the latest experimental data from Tevatron and LHC.

Findings

Bounds on flavor-changing $Wtq$ couplings derived from collider and flavor data.

Updated limits on flavor-diagonal $Wtb$ couplings from recent top decay measurements.

Constraints on four-quark contact interactions involving the top quark.

Abstract

Within the model-independent framework of $SU(3)\times SU(2)\times U(1)$ gauge-invariant dimension-six operators, we study flavor-changing $Wtq$ couplings ($q=d,s$) and related four-quark contact interactions involving the top. We obtain bounds on those couplings from Tevatron and LHC data for single-top production and branching fractions in top decays, as well as other experimental results on flavor-changing neutral-current processes including $B\to X_{q}\gamma$ and $Z\to b\bar{q}$ decays ($q=d,s$). We also update the bounds on flavor-diagonal $Wtb$ couplings using the most recent measurement of $W$-helicity fractions in top decays from top-pair production.