Published: 2010
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We report a search for single top quark production with the CDF II detector using 2.1 fb−1 of integrated luminosity of p{bar p} collisions at √s = 1.96 TeV. The data selected consist of events characterized by large energy imbalance in the transverse plane and hadronic jets, and no identified electrons and muons, so the sample is enriched in W → [tau][nu] decays. In order to suppress backgrounds, additional kinematic and topological requirements are imposed through a neural network, and at least one of the jets must be identified as a b quark jet. We measure an excess of signal-like events in agreement with the standard model prediction, but inconsistent with a model without single top quark production by 2.1 standard deviations ([sigma]), with a median expected sensitivity of 1.4 [sigma]. Assuming a top quark mass of 175 GeV/c2 and ascribing the excess to single top quark production, the cross section is measured to be 4.9{sub -2.2}{sup +2.5} (stat+syst) pb, consistent with measurements performed in independent datasets and with the standard model prediction.