Giving top quark effective operators a boost

TL;DR

This paper explores how high momentum transfer events can enhance effective field theory searches for new physics in the top quark sector at the LHC, emphasizing their role in breaking parameter degeneracies.

Contribution

It systematically evaluates the benefits of boosted top quark events in improving EFT constraints and clarifies their importance in global fits for top sector new physics.

Findings

Fully-resolved analyses dominate constraints.

Boosted tops help break degeneracies in global fits.

High momentum transfer states are crucial for comprehensive top EFT searches.

Abstract

We investigate the prospects to systematically improve generic effective field theory-based searches for new physics in the top sector during LHC run 2 as well as the high luminosity phase. In particular, we assess the benefits of high momentum transfer final states on top EFT-fit as a function of systematic uncertainties in comparison with sensitivity expected from fully-resolved analyses focusing on $t\bar t$ production. We find that constraints are typically driven by fully-resolved selections, while boosted top quarks can serve to break degeneracies in the global fit. This demystifies and clarifies the importance of high momentum transfer final states for global fits to new interactions in the top sector from direct measurements.