Search for W ' -> tb decays in the hadronic final state using pp collisions at root s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for W'-boson production in the W' -> t (b) over bar -> q (q) over bar 'b (b) over bar decay channel is presented using 36.1 fb(-1) of 13 TeV proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016. The search is interpreted in terms of both a left-handed and a right-handed chiral W' boson within the mass range 1-5 TeV. Identification of the hadronically decaying top quark is performed using jet substructure tagging techniques based on a shower deconstruction algorithm. No significant deviation from the Standard Model prediction is observed and the results are expressed as upper limits on the W' -> t (b) over bar production cross-section times branching ratio as a function of the W'-boson mass. These limits exclude W' bosons with right-handed couplings with masses below 3.0 TeV and W' bosons with left-handed couplings with masses below 2.9 TeV, at the 95% confidence level. (C) 2018 The Author. Published by Elsevier B.V.