Search for the neutral current top quark decay t-->Zc using the ratio of Z-boson+4 jets to W-boson+4 jets production

• Main Authors: Xie, Si (Contributor), Makhoul, K. (Contributor), Knuteson, Bruce O. (Contributor), Henderson, C. (Contributor), Hahn, Kristian Allan (Contributor), Goncharov, M. (Contributor), Gomez-Ceballos, Guillelmo (Contributor), Choudalakis, Georgios (Contributor), Bauer, Gerry P. (Contributor), Paus, Christoph M. E. (Contributor)
• Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics (Contributor), Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Laboratory for Nuclear Science (Contributor)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Physical Society, 2010-02-26T19:35:40Z.
• Subjects: Article
• Online Access: Get fulltext

 We have used the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF-II) to search for the flavor-changing neutral-current (FCNC) top-quark decay t→Zc using a technique employing ratios of W and Z production, measured in pp̅ data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.52  fb[superscript -1]. The analysis uses a comparison of two decay chains, pp̅ →tt̅ →WbWb→ℓνbjjb and pp̅ →tt̅ →ZcWb→ℓℓcjjb, to cancel systematic uncertainties in acceptance, efficiency, and luminosity. We validate the modeling of acceptance and efficiency for lepton identification over the multiyear data set using another ratio of W and Z production, in this case the observed ratio of inclusive production of W to Z bosons. To improve the discrimination against standard model backgrounds to top-quark decays, we calculate the top-quark mass for each event with two leptons and four jets assuming it is a tt̅ event with one of the top quarks decaying to Zc. For additional background discrimination we require at least one jet to be identified as originating from a b quark. No significant signal is found and we set an upper limit on the FCNC branching ratio Br(t→Zc) using a likelihood constructed from the ℓℓcjjb top-quark mass distribution and the number of ℓνbjjb events. Limits are set as a function of the helicity of the Z boson produced in the FCNC decay. For 100% longitudinally-polarized Z bosons we find limits of 8.3% and 9.3% (95% C.L.) depending on the assumptions regarding the theoretical top-quark pair production cross section.