The mu tau and e tau Decays of Top Quark Pairs Produced in p pbar Collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV

TL;DR

This paper reports evidence for top quark pair decays involving tau leptons in proton-antiproton collisions at 1.8 TeV, with observed events exceeding background expectations, indicating potential signals of such decay modes.

Contribution

First evidence for top quark pair decays involving tau leptons in proton-antiproton collisions at Tevatron energies.

Findings

Observed 4 candidate events with tau leptons, exceeding expected background of 0.28 events.

Three events had jets identified as b-quark candidates, supporting top quark decay hypothesis.

Results suggest possible detection of t tbar decays to tau leptons, expanding understanding of top quark decay channels.

Abstract

We present evidence for dilepton events from t tbar production with one electron or muon and one hadronically decaying tau lepton from the decay t tbar -> (l nu_l) (tau nu_tau) b bbar, (l=e, mu), using the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF). In a 109 pb^-1 data sample of p pbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV we expect ~1 signal event and a total background of ~2 events; we observe 4 candidate events (2 e tau and 2 mu tau). Three of these events have jets identified as b candidates, compared to an estimated background of 0.28+-0.02 events.