Measurement of single top quark production at D0 using a matrix element method
- Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States)
Until now, the top quark has only been observed produced in pairs, by the strong force. According to the standard model, it can also be produced singly, via an electroweak interaction. Top quarks produced this way provide powerful ways to test the charged-current electroweak interactions of the top quark, to measure |Vtb|, and to search for physics beyond the standard model. This thesis describes the application of the matrix element analysis technique to the search for single top quark production with the D0 detector using 0.9 fb-1 of Run II data. From a comparison of the matrix element discriminants between data and the background model, assuming a Standard Model s-channel to t-channel cross section ratio of σs/σt = 0.44, we measure the single top quark production cross section: σ(p$$\bar{p}$$ → tb + X, tqb + X) = 4.8$$-1.4\atop{+1.6}$$ pb. This result has a p-value of 0.08%, corresponding to a 3.2 standard deviation Gaussian equivalent significance.
- Research Organization:
- Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-07CH11359
- OSTI ID:
- 913191
- Report Number(s):
- FERMILAB-THESIS-2007-15; TRN: US0800663
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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