Prospects of measuring the CKM matrix element $|V_{ts}|$ at the LHC

Understand

We study the prospects of measuring the CKM matrix element $\vert V_{ts}\vert$ at the LHC with the top quarks produced in the processes $p p \to t\bar{t}X$ and $p p \to t/\bar{t} X$, and the subsequent decays $t \to W^+s$ and $\bar{t} \to W^- \bar{s}$.

• We insist on tagging the $W^\pm$ leptonically, $W^\pm \to \ell^\pm \nu_\ell$ ($\ell =e, \mu, \tau$), and analyse the anticipated jet profiles in the signal process $t \to W s$ and the dominant background from the decay $t \to W b$.
• To that end, we analyse the $V0$ ($K^0$ and $\Lambda$) distributions in the $s$- and $b$-quark jets concentrating on the energy and transverse momentum distributions of these particles.
• The $V0$s emanating from the $t \to W b$ branch have displaced decay vertexes from the interaction point due to the weak decays $b \to c \to s$ and the $b$-quark jets are rich in charged leptons.