Search for production of single top quarks via tcg and tug flavor-changing-neutral-current couplings

Abstract

We search for the production of single top quarks via flavor-changing-neutral-current couplings of a gluon to the top quark and a charm (c) or up (u) quark. We analyze 230 pb^-1 of lepton+jets data from pp̅ collisions at a center of mass energy of 1.96 TeV collected by the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We observe no significant deviation from standard model predictions, and hence set upper limits on the anomalous coupling parameters κ_g^c/Λ and κ_g^u/Λ, where κ_g define the strength of tcg and tug couplings, and Λ defines the scale of new physics. The limits at 95% C.L. are κ_g^c/Λ<0.15 TeV^-1 and κ_g^u/Λ<0.037 TeV^-1.