CAREER: Direct Measurement of the CKM Matrix Element Vtb at the Tevatron

University Of Illinois At Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

This CAREER proposal focuses on detailed studies of the production mechanisms of the top quark, in particular in attempting to observe, with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron, the electroweak production of a single top quark from a Wtb vertex and, hence, to measure the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element, Vtb, directly. The measurement of Vtb is very important to particle physics. It will help assure that the top quark has the properties that are expected of the SU(2) partner of the bottom quark. Extracting a single-top signal from a large background requires a very efficient identification of jets originating from a bottom quark, with a very low rate of mis-identification. This can be achieved with a silicon-based tracking system, now being developed for the D0 Run2b upgrade. The Principal Investigator is one of the major contributors to the development of this detector.