On Top Quark Polarization and Proposed Techniques for Measuring $m_t$ at Hadron Colliders

Abstract

Measuring the top quark mass in its semileptonic decay mode, $t ->be^+\nu$ ($b -> \mu^- + X$), through the mass distribution of the $e^+$--$\mu^-$ pair has been shown to provide a good measurement of the top quark mass with an uncertainty of $1.6\%$ for $m_t=150,250\,$GeV at the SSC. Here it is demonstrated that an uncertainty in the polarization of the top quark can add an additional uncertainty of about $3%$ in the mass. [Talk presented at the Workshop on Physics at Current Accelerators and the Supercollider held at the Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois, 2-5 June 1993.]