Model-independent measurement of the top quark polarisation

Abstract

We introduce a new asymmetry in the decay t -> W b -> l nu b, which is shown to be directly proportional to the polarisation of the top quark along a chosen axis, times a sum of W helicity fractions. The latter have already been precisely measured at the Tevatron and the Large Hadron Collider. Therefore, this new asymmetry can be used to obtain a model-independent measurement of the polarisation of top quarks produced in any process at hadron or lepton colliders.

Comments: LaTeX 12 pages. Discussion expanded with a new plot, references added. Final version to appear in PLB