2026/03/03 by Tetiana Obikhod, Тетяна Обіход, Ievgenii Petrenko +1
Physics and Astronomy · #Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies #High-Energy Particle Collisions Research #Neutrino Physics Research
paper · pdf · doi:10.46813/2026-163-009
This work presents a comprehensive phenomenological study of Higgs boson production in association with a single top quark (tH) in proton–proton collisions at center-of-mass energies of 13 and 14 TeV. The analysis focuses on the sensitivity of this process to the magnitude and relative sign of the top-Higgs Yukawa coupling (κt), which plays a crucial role in testing the Standard Model and probing possible new physics effects. Using Monte Carlo simulations at LO+MLM accuracy with MadGraph5aMC@NLO, combined with appropriate K-factor normalization to approximate next-to-leading order predictions, we evaluate cross-sections, kinematic distributions, and interference effects between contributing amplitudes. Special attention is given to the inverted coupling scenario (κt = −1), where destructive interference becomes constructive, leading to a significant enhancement of the production rate. The results are compared with ATLAS measurements and theoretical expectations, demonstrating good agreement within uncertainties. Key observables such as transverse momentum spectra, scalar sum of transverse energy, and forward jet pseudorapidity are analyzed, highlighting their discriminating power. The study confirms that tH production is a powerful probe of the Higgs sector and provides strong sensitivity to non-standard Yukawa interactions at the LHC and future high-luminosity upgrades.