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arxiv: 2512.09379 · v2 · submitted 2025-12-10 · ✦ hep-ex

Probing t-channel single top-quark and antiquark production via differential cross-section measurements at sqrt{s}=SI{13}{TeV} with the ATLAS detector

Lukas Kretschmann This is my paper

Pith reviewed 2026-05-16 23:54 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification ✦ hep-ex
keywords single top productiont-channeldifferential cross-sectionstop antiquarkeffective field theoryWilson coefficientparton levelproton-proton collisions
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The pith

Differential cross-sections for t-channel single top-quark and antiquark production are measured at 13 TeV, including their ratio and an effective field theory interpretation.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The paper measures the differential production cross-sections of single top quarks and top antiquarks via the t-channel process in proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV. These cross-sections are determined as functions of the transverse momentum and absolute rapidity at the parton level using the full Run 2 data set. A key new result is the differential ratio of the top quark to top antiquark cross-sections. The measurements are compared to theoretical predictions and interpreted in an effective field theory framework to constrain a specific Wilson coefficient. This provides a detailed test of the standard model in the top sector and probes for possible new physics contributions.

Core claim

The differential production cross-sections of single top quarks and top antiquarks produced via the t-channel process are measured in proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV with an integrated luminosity of 140 inverse femtobarns. The cross-sections are measured as a function of the transverse momentum and absolute rapidity of the top quark (tq) and top antiquark (tbar q) at parton level. In addition, for the first time, the differential ratio of the tq to tbar q cross-sections is presented. The results are compared to theoretical predictions from fixed-order calculations, various event generators, and different PDF sets. An interpretation in the framework of an effective field theory is to the

What carries the argument

The differential ratio of the tq to tbar q cross-sections, which serves as a sensitive probe for theoretical predictions and effective field theory constraints on the four-fermion operator.

Load-bearing premise

The procedure for unfolding detector-level events to parton level, along with the modeling of signal acceptances and backgrounds, must be accurate enough that any remaining uncertainties do not systematically bias the measured spectra or the effective field theory fit.

What would settle it

A statistically significant deviation of the measured differential ratio from all standard model predictions, particularly in regions of high transverse momentum, would indicate either issues with the theoretical modeling or the presence of physics beyond the standard model.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2512.09379 by Lukas Kretschmann.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Figure 1: The (a) normalised differential tq production cross-section and corresponding ratio to theory prediction as a function of pT(t)compared to theoretical predictions from different MC generators and (b) the differential cross-section ratio as a function of pT(t) compared to fixed-order with MCFM [5]. The figures are both from [3]. Good agreement is observed between data and theoretical predictions from Powheg… view at source ↗
Figure 2
Figure 2. Figure 2: The (a) normalised differential tq production cross-section and corresponding ratio to theory prediction as a function of |y(t)| compared to theoretical predictions from different PDFs and (b) the differential cross-section as a function of |y(t)| compared to fixed-order with MCFM. The figures are both from [3]. physics via the operator O 3,1 Qq [7]. Using detector-level samples with non￾zero Wilson coeffi… view at source ↗
read the original abstract

The differential production cross-sections of single top quarks and top antiquarks produced via the $t$-channel process are measured in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$TeV at the LHC with the full Run~2 ATLAS dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of \SI{140}{\femto\barn^{-1}}. The cross-sections are measured as a function of the transverse momentum and absolute rapidity of the top quark ($tq$) and top antiquark ($\bar{t}q$) at parton level. In addition, for the first time, the differential ratio of the $tq$ to $\bar{t}q$ cross-sections is presented. The results are compared to theoretical predictions from fixed-order calculations, various event generators, and different PDF sets. An interpretation in the framework of an effective field theory (EFT) is performed to constrain the Wilson coefficient $C^{3,1}_{Qq}$ of the four-fermion operator.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Referee Report

0 major / 3 minor

Summary. The manuscript reports measurements of the differential cross sections for t-channel single top-quark (tq) and top-antiquark (tbar q) production in 13 TeV pp collisions using the full ATLAS Run 2 dataset (140 fb^{-1}). The observables are the transverse momentum and absolute rapidity of the top (anti)quark at parton level; the differential ratio of the tq to tbar q cross sections is presented for the first time. Results are compared to fixed-order NLO calculations, several event generators, and different PDF sets. An EFT interpretation is performed to set a limit on the Wilson coefficient C^{3,1}_{Qq} of the four-fermion operator.

Significance. If the unfolding, background modeling, and systematic uncertainties are under control, the measurements supply high-precision inputs for PDF fits and a first differential probe of charge asymmetry in t-channel production. The EFT constraint on C^{3,1}_{Qq} adds a direct BSM interpretation to a well-established SM process. The work follows standard ATLAS techniques for unfolding and acceptance corrections.

minor comments (3)
  1. [§4] §4 (Unfolding): the description of the regularization parameter choice and its propagation into the ratio observable should be expanded; a brief statement on the stability of the ratio under different regularization strengths would strengthen the result.
  2. [Table 2, Fig. 7] Table 2 and Fig. 7: the breakdown of systematic uncertainties for the ratio measurement is not shown separately; adding a dedicated column or panel would clarify whether the dominant uncertainties cancel in the ratio as expected.
  3. [§6] §6 (EFT fit): the text states that only C^{3,1}_{Qq} is varied, but does not explicitly list the other operators that were fixed to their SM values or the rationale for that choice; a short sentence would remove ambiguity.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

0 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for the careful review of our manuscript and the recommendation for minor revision. The provided summary accurately captures the key elements of our differential cross-section measurements, the ratio observable, and the EFT interpretation. No major comments were raised in the report.

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No significant circularity; direct experimental measurement

full rationale

The paper reports unfolded parton-level differential cross-section measurements for t-channel single top production and their ratio, extracted from 140 fb^{-1} of ATLAS data, followed by comparison to external theory predictions and a standard EFT fit constraining one Wilson coefficient. No load-bearing step reduces by the paper's own equations to a fitted parameter renamed as prediction, a self-defined quantity, or a self-citation chain. Unfolding, background modeling, and acceptance corrections are standard experimental procedures whose accuracy is treated as an assumption rather than derived internally. The derivation chain is self-contained against external benchmarks and contains no self-definitional or fitted-input circularity.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 1 axioms · 0 invented entities

The measurement relies on standard assumptions of perturbative QCD, parton shower modeling, and detector response; no new free parameters or invented entities are introduced in the abstract.

axioms (1)
  • domain assumption Standard Model describes t-channel single top production at leading order and next-to-leading order
    Used as baseline for theoretical comparisons and EFT interpretation

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discussion (0)

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Reference graph

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