Finite width effects in top quark decays

Gregory Mahlon, Stephen Parke

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

37 Scopus citations

Abstract

Motivated by evidence that the top quark mass lies near the b WZ threshold, we compute the decay rate for t → b WZ in the Standard Model, including the effects of the finite widths of the W and Z bosons. In the limit where the width effects are negligible, our results disagree with previously published calculations. We also examine the decay t → b WH. Although the widths induce a sizable enhancement near threshold for both decays, we find that the rates are still too small to be observed in the present generation of experiments. This means that detection of either mode in one of these experiments would be a signal of new physics.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)394-398
Number of pages5
JournalPhysics Letters B
Volume347
Issue number3-4
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 23 1995

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Nuclear and High Energy Physics

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