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

A search for W′-boson production in the W′→tb¯→qq¯′bb¯ decay channel is presented using 36.1fb−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′→tb¯ 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.