Measurement of top-quark pair production in association with charm quarks in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV with the ATLAS detector

The ATLAS collaboration Aad, Georges ; Aakvaag, Erlend ; Abbott, Braden Keim ; et al.
Phys.Lett.B 860 (2025) 139177, 2025.
Inspire Record 2829504 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.154444

Inclusive cross-sections for top-quark pair production in association with charm quarks are measured with proton-proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb$^{-1}$, collected with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC between 2015 and 2018. The measurements are performed by requiring one or two charged leptons (electrons and muons), two $b$-tagged jets, and at least one additional jet in the final state. A custom flavor-tagging algorithm is employed for the simultaneous identification of $b$-jets and $c$-jets. In a fiducial phase space that replicates the acceptance of the ATLAS detector, the cross-sections for $t\bar{t}+ {\geq} 2c$ and $t\bar{t}+1c$ production are measured to be $1.28^{+0.27}_{-0.24}\;\text{pb}$ and $6.4^{+1.0}_{-0.9}\;\text{pb}$, respectively. The measurements are primarily limited by uncertainties in the modeling of inclusive $t\bar{t}$ and $t\bar{t}+b\bar{b}$ production, in the calibration of the flavor-tagging algorithm, and by data statistics. Cross-section predictions from various $t\bar{t}$ simulations are largely consistent with the measured cross-section values, though all underpredict the observed values by 0.5 to 2.0 standard deviations. In a phase-space volume without requirements on the $t\bar{t}$ decay products and the jet multiplicity, the cross-section ratios of $t\bar{t}+ {\geq} 2c$ and $t\bar{t}+1c$ to total $t\bar{t}+\text{jets}$ production are determined to be $(1.23 \pm 0.25) \%$ and $(8.8 \pm 1.3) \%$.

22 data tables

Measured cross-section values in the fiducial phase space and inclusive volume for the various $t\bar{t}+jets$ categories.

Post-fit agreement between data and MC prediction for $SR_{\mathrm{loose}}^{1\ell5j}$ signal region, which uses the invariant mass of the two geometrically closest c-tagged jets, $m_{\mathit{cc}}^{\mathrm{min}\Delta R}$, as an observable. The hatched uncertainty bands include all uncertainties and their correlations. The last bins contain overflow events. "Other Top" includes single-top-quark production and associated production of $t\bar{t}$ and single top quarks with bosons. "Non-Top" includes W+jets, Z+jets, and diboson processes.

Post-fit agreement between data and MC prediction for the $SR_{\mathrm{tight}}^{1\ell5j}$ signal region, which uses the invariant mass of the two geometrically closest jets tagged with c@11%, $m_{\mathit{cc}}^{\mathrm{min}\Delta R}$, as an observable. The hatched uncertainty bands include all uncertainties and their correlations. The last bins contain overflow events. "Other Top" includes single-top-quark production and associated production of $t\bar{t}$ and single top quarks with bosons. "Non-Top" includes W+jets, Z+jets, and diboson processes.

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Observation of quantum entanglement in top quark pair production in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

The CMS collaboration Hayrapetyan, Aram ; Tumasyan, Armen ; Adam, Wolfgang ; et al.
Rept.Prog.Phys. 87 (2024) 117801, 2024.
Inspire Record 2795514 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.145665

Entanglement is an intrinsic property of quantum mechanics and is predicted to be exhibited in the particles produced at the Large Hadron Collider. A measurement of the extent of entanglement in top quark-antiquark ($\mathrm{t\bar{t}}$) events produced in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV is performed with the data recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC in 2016, and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.3 fb$^{-1}$. The events are selected based on the presence of two leptons with opposite charges and high transverse momentum. An entanglement-sensitive observable $D$ is derived from the top quark spin-dependent parts of the $\mathrm{t\bar{t}}$ production density matrix and measured in the region of the $\mathrm{t\bar{t}}$ production threshold. Values of $D$$\lt$$-$1/3 are evidence of entanglement and $D$ is observed (expected) to be $-$0.480 $^{+0.026}_{-0.029}$$(-$0.467 $^{+0.026}_{-0.029})$ at the parton level. With an observed significance of 5.1 standard deviations with respect to the non-entangled hypothesis, this provides observation of quantum mechanical entanglement within $\mathrm{t\bar{t}}$ pairs in this phase space. This measurement provides a new probe of quantum mechanics at the highest energies ever produced.

3 data tables

Expected and observed values for the entanglement proxy D in the parton-level phase space of $m(\mathrm{t\bar{t}}) < 400$ and $\beta_z(\mathrm{t\bar{t}}) < 0.9$ when including contributions from the ground state of toponium, $\eta_{\mathrm{t}}$. The first uncertainty is the statistical uncertainty whereas the second uncertainty is the systematic uncertainty.

Expected and observed values for the entanglement proxy D in the parton-level phase space of $m(\mathrm{t\bar{t}}) < 400$ and $\beta_z(\mathrm{t\bar{t}}) < 0.9$ when excluding contributions from the ground state of toponium, $\eta_{\mathrm{t}}$. The first uncertainty is the statistical uncertainty whereas the second uncertainty is the systematic uncertainty.

Expected values from various Monte Carlo predictions for the entanglement proxy D in the parton-level phase space of $m(\mathrm{t\bar{t}}) < 400$ and $\beta_z(\mathrm{t\bar{t}}) < 0.9$ both when excluding and including contributions from the ground state of toponium, $\eta_{\mathrm{t}}$. The first uncertainty is the Monte Carlo statistical uncertainty whereas the second uncertainty is the systematic uncertainty which includes PDF and scale uncertainties.