Search for s-channel single top-quark production in proton-proton collisions at √s=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector


Aad G., Abbott B., Abdallah J., Abdel Khalek S., Abdinov O., Aben R., ...More

PHYSICS LETTERS B, pp.118-136, 2015 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Publication Date: 2015
  • Doi Number: 10.1016/j.physletb.2014.11.042
  • Journal Name: PHYSICS LETTERS B
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.118-136
  • Keywords: ATLAS, Electroweak production, S-Channel, Top-quark
  • Ankara University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This Letter presents a search at the LHC for s-channel single top-quark production in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The analyzed data set was recorded by the ATLAS detector and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb(-1). Selected events contain one charged lepton, large missing transverse momentum and exactly two b-tagged jets. A multivariate event classifier based on boosted decision trees is developed to discriminate s-channel single top-quark events from the main background contributions. The signal extraction is based on a binned maximum-likelihood fit of the output classifier distribution. The analysis leads to an upper limit on the s-channel single topquark production cross-section of 14.6 pb at the 95% confidence level. The fit gives a cross-section of sigma(s) = 5.0 +/- 4.3 pb, consistent with the Standard Model expectation. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.