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  • Open Access

Probing Top-Quark–Electron Interactions at Future Colliders

Luigi Bellafronte1,*, Sally Dawson2,†, Pier Paolo Giardino3,‡, and Hongkai Liu2,§

  • *Contact author: lbellafronte@fsu.edu
  • †Contact author: dawson@bnl.gov
  • ‡Contact author: pier.giardino@uam.es
  • §Contact author: hliu6@bnl.gov
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 251801 – Published 17 December, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/7z6x-ygqq

Abstract

Top quark interactions offer a window into possible new high scale physics and many models of new physics predict that the top quark interactions will deviate significantly from those predicted by the standard model. We present an analysis of the experimental restrictions on anomalous 4-fermion e+e−tt¯ operators that is accurate to next-to-leading order (NLO) in both the electroweak and QCD interactions within the standard model effective field theory framework. At NLO, there is sensitivity to an extended set of anomalous interactions beyond those probed at leading order. A comparison of current limits from electroweak precision observables, along with expected future limits from Drell-Yan and tt¯e+e− production at the high luminosity LHC, from deep inelastic scattering at the EIC, and from projected sensitivities at the future FCC-ee and CEPC machines demonstrates that each of these programs extends the precision understanding of the interactions of top quarks.

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Outline

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 251801– Published 17 December, 2025
  • Received 22 July 2025
  • Revised 13 October 2025
  • Accepted 26 November 2025
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