Studies of Top Quark properties at the LHC

Abstract

The LHC collider plans to start in 2007, after which millions of top quarks will be produced at the collision points. In the first period of data taking these events will provide an essential calibration tool for the ATLAS and CMS detectors. During a later stage, as part of the precision measurement programme, both detectors will determine the top mass and properties like spin, charge and couplings. Top physics also plays a central role in the search for new particles, both as source of a possible signal and as source of background.}