Search for $tZ$ Flavour Changing Neutral Currents in top-quark decays with the ATLAS detector

Abstract

A search for flavour-changing neutral current (FCNC) processes in top-quark decays is presented. Data collected from proton-proton collisions at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36 fb$^{-1}$, are analysed. A search is performed for top-quark pair-production events, with one top-quark decaying through the $t\to qZ$ ($q=u,c$) FCNC channel, and the other through the dominant Standard Model mode $t\to bW$. Only the decays of the $Z$ boson to charged leptons and leptonic $W$ boson decays are considered as signal. No evidence for a signal is found. The observed and expected upper limits on the branching ratio of $t\to uZ$ and $t\to cZ$ are set at 95\% confidence level and are about a factor 3 better than the ones obtained with the Run 1 data of the ATLAS detector.