Search for s-channel single-top-quark production in events with missing energy plus jets in pp̅ collisions at √s=1.96TeV

Abstract

The first search for single-top-quark production from the exchange of an s-channel virtual W boson using events with an imbalance in the total transverse energy, b-tagged jets, and no identified leptons is presented. Assuming the electroweak production of top quarks of mass 172.5GeV/c2 in the s channel, a cross section of 1.12-0.57+0.61 (stat+syst) pb with a significance of 1.9 standard deviations is measured. This measurement is combined with the result obtained from events with an imbalance in total transverse momentum, b-tagged jets, and exactly one identified lepton, yielding a cross section of 1.36-0.32+0.37 (stat+syst) pb, with a significance of 4.2 standard deviations. © 2014 American Physical Society.