Laboratory-frame observables for probing the top-Higgs boson interaction

We investigate methods to explore the CP nature of the t (t) overbarh coupling at the LHC, focusing on associated production of the Higgs boson with a t (t) overbar pair. We first discuss the constraints implied by low-energy observables and by the Higgs-rate information from available LHC data, emphasizing that they cannot provide conclusive evidence on the nature of this coupling. We then investigate kinematic observables that could probe the t (t) overbarh coupling directly, in particular, quantities that can be constructed out of just laboratory-frame kinematics. We define one such observable by exploiting the fact that t (t) overbar spin correlations do also carry information about the CP nature of the t (t) overbarh coupling. Finally, we introduce a CP-odd quantity and a related asymmetry, able to probe CP violation in the t (t) overbarh coupling and likewise, constructed out of laboratory-frame momenta only.