Optimal use of information for measuring M(t) in lepton + jets t anti-t events

The observation of the top (t) quark served as one of the major confirmations of the validity of the standard model (SM) of particle interactions. Through radiative corrections of the SM, the mass of the top quark, along with that of the W boson, provide the best indication for the value of the mass of the hypothesized Higgs boson. The mass of the W is known to a precision of < 0.1%, while the uncertainty on the mass of the top quark is at the 4% level. Improvements in both measurements are required to limit the range of mass that the Higgs boson can assume in the SM, and, of course, to check whether that agrees with expectation. It is therefore important to develop techniques for extracting the mass of the top quark that can provide the sharpest values possible