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Search for Right-Handed Helicity $W$ Bosons in Top Quark Decays at D{\O}

ORAL

Abstract

Within the Standard Model, the helicity of the $W$~boson in the top quark decay is given by the V--A coupling. As the top quark is by far the heaviest of all fermions, some models predict an additional V+A coupling between the top quark and the $W$~boson. At a hadron collider, top quarks are dominantly produced in pairs ($t\bar{t}$), each of them decaying to a $W$~boson and a $b$~quark. We present a search for right-handed helicity $W$ bosons in top quark decays using the lepton+jets decay channel. The data were collected by the D\O\ experiment during Run II of the Fermilab Tevatron. The $W$ boson helicity is determined using the angular distribution of the lepton in the $W$ rest-frame with respect to the $W$ direction. A limit on the fraction of right-handed $W$ bosons is reported along with a discussion of systematic uncertainties.

Authors

  • Bryan Gmyrek

    University of Arizona