Nonperturbative fragmentation of the top quark

Abstract

By the use of a simple phenomenological string model, the energy lost by the top quark through nonperturbative fragmentation effects before its weak decay is computed. This energy lost is in first approximation proportional to the rate between the decay time and the hadronization time of the top as measured in the center-of-mass frame of the top and its color partner. Precise computations of the energy lost by the top in terms of its mass when produced in colliders such as the Fermilab Tevatron, CERN Large Hadron Collider, Superconducting Super Collider, and CERN Linear Collider are presented. As expected, this effect decreases quickly with the top mass but it could be relevant for a top mass below 100 GeV.