Search for leptonic charge asymmetry in t(t)over-barW production in final states with three leptons at √s=13 TeV

A search for the leptonic charge asymmetry (A(c)(l)) of top-quark-antiquark pair production in association with a W boson (t (t) over barW) is presented. The search is performed using final states with exactly three charged light leptons (electrons or muons) and is based on root s = 13TeV proton-proton collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN during the years 2015-2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb(-1). A profile-likelihood fit to the event yields in multiple regions corresponding to positive and negative differences between the pseudorapidities of the charged leptons from top-quark and top-antiquark decays is used to extract the charge asymmetry. At reconstruction level, the asymmetry is found to be -0.12 +/- 0.14 (stat.) +/- 0.05 (syst.). An unfolding procedure is applied to convert the result at reconstruction level into a charge-asymmetry value in a fiducial volume at particle level with the result of -0.11 +/- 0.17 (stat.) +/- 0.05 (syst.). The Standard Model expectations for these two observables are calculated using Monte Carlo simulations with next-to-leading-order plus parton shower precision in quantum chromodynamics and including next-to-leading-order electroweak corrections. They are -0.084(-0.003)(+0.005) (scale) +/- 0.006 (MC stat.) and -0.063(-0.004)(+0.007) (scale) +/- 0.004 (MC stat.) respectively, and in agreement with the measurements.

Automated summary

This paper presents a study on the leptonic charge asymmetry of top-quark-antiquark pair production in association with a W boson. By analyzing the top-quark and top-antiquark decays and fitting the event yields in multiple regions, the charge asymmetry is extracted. Using data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the study provides consistent results.