Description:

Searches of physics beyond the standard model are being conducted in many shapes and forms at the LHC, but so far there have been no consistent, significant deviations from SM predictions. While many of these searches probe direct production of new elementary particles, other more subtle hints of new physics can guide the way for theories beyond the SM. In this talk I will show two examples of using top quarks as a discovery tool: I will discuss the most recent results of searches for flavor changing neutral current decays of top quarks with the CMS experiment. A statistical combination of their results allows us to obtain the most stringent constraints on top quark FCNCs to date. I will then outline a new way of constraining BSM contributions in the coupling of the top quark to the Z boson, using effective field theory methods and new data analysis tools.

Daniel Spitzbart, Distinguished Researcher, Fermilab

Host: Michael Schmitt