Search for flavour-changing neutral current top-quark decays $t\to qZ$ in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV with the ATLAS detector

TL;DR

This paper reports a search for rare top-quark decays via flavour-changing neutral currents at the LHC, setting the most stringent limits to date on the branching ratios for $t o uZ$ and $t o cZ$ decays.

Contribution

First search using 13 TeV data to set new upper limits on $t o qZ$ decays with specific final-state topology.

Findings

No evidence of $t o qZ$ decays observed.

Upper limits of $1.7\times10^{-4}$ for $t\to uZ$ and $2.4\times10^{-4}$ for $t\to cZ$.

Most stringent limits to date on these decay modes.

Abstract

A search for flavour-changing neutral-current processes in top-quark decays is presented. Data collected with the ATLAS detector from proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb$^{-1}$, are analysed. The search is performed using top-quark pair events, with one top quark decaying through the $t\rightarrow qZ$ $(q = u, c)$ flavour-changing neutral-current channel, and the other through the dominant Standard Model mode $t\rightarrow bW$. Only $Z$ boson decays into charged leptons and leptonic $W$ boson decays are considered as signal. Consequently, the final-state topology is characterized by the presence of three isolated charged leptons (electrons or muons) and at least two jets, one of the jets originating from a $b$-quark, and missing transverse momentum from the undetected neutrino. The data are consistent with Standard Model background contributions, and at 95% confidence level the search sets observed (expected) upper limits of $1.7\times10^{-4}$ ($2.4\times10^{-4}$) on the $t\to uZ$ branching ratio and $2.4\times10^{-4}$ ($3.2\times10^{-4}$) on the $t\to cZ$ branching ratio, constituting the most stringent limits to date.