Physics (Internal)

Using Top Quarks to Discern New Physics at the LHC

This event is part of the HET Seminar Series.

We study top quark pair production to probe new physics at the LHC. We
propose reconstruction methods for $t\bar{t}$ semileptonic events and use
them to reconstruct the $t\bar{t}$ invariant mass. The angular
distribution of top quarks in their c.m. frame can determine the spin and
production subprocess for each new physics resonance. Forward-backward
asymmetry and CP-odd variables can be constructed to further delineate the
nature of new physics. We parametrize the new resonances with a few
generic parameters and show high invariant mass top pair production may
provide an early indicator for new physics beyond the Standard Model.