Search for W′ → tb decays in the hadronic final state using pp collisions at s=13TeV with the ATLAS detector

Abstract

A search for W'-boson production in the W→t¯ b→q¯q'b¯ bdecay channel is presented using 36.1fb−1of 13TeV proton–proton collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016. The search is interpreted in terms of both a left-handed and a right-handed chiral W'boson within the mass range 1–5 TeV. Identification of the hadronically decaying top quark is performed using jet substructure tagging techniques based on a shower deconstruction algorithm. No significant deviation from the Standard Model prediction is observed and the results are expressed as upper limits on the W'→t¯ bproduction cross-section times branching ratio as a function of the W'-boson mass. These limits exclude W'bosons with right-handed couplings with masses below 3.0TeV and W' bosons with left-handed couplings with masses below 2.9TeV, at the 95% confidence level.