A search is presented for the single production of vector-like quarks in proton-proton collisions at
s
=
13
TeV
. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9
fb
-
1
, were recorded with the CMS experiment at the LHC. The analysis focuses on the vector-like quark decay into a top quark and a
W
boson, with one muon or electron in the final state. The mass of the vector-like quark candidate is reconstructed from hadronic jets, the lepton, and the missing transverse momentum. Methods for the identification of
b
quarks and of highly Lorentz boosted hadronically decaying top quarks and
W
bosons are exploited in this search. No significant deviation from the standard model background expectation is observed. Exclusion limits at 95% confidence level are set on the product of the production cross section and branching fraction as a function of the vector-like quark mass, which range from 0.3 to 0.03
pb
for vector-like quark masses of 700 to 2000
GeV
. Mass exclusion limits up to 1660
GeV
are obtained, depending on the vector-like quark type, coupling, and decay width. These represent the most stringent exclusion limits for the single production of vector-like quarks in this channel.
* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.