  The LHC will have unprecedented sensitivity to flavor-changing neutral
current (FCNC) top quark decays, whose observation would be a clear sign of
physics beyond the standard model. Although many details of top flavor
violation are model dependent, the standard model gauge symmetries relate top
FCNCs to other processes, which are strongly constrained by existing data. We
study these constraints in a model independent way, using a low energy
effective theory from which the new physics is integrated out. We consider the
most important operators which contribute to top FCNCs and analyze the current
constraints on them. We find that the data rule out top FCNCs at a level
observable at the LHC due to most of the operators comprising left-handed first
or second generation quark fields, while there remains a substantial window for
top decays mediated by operators with right-handed charm or up quarks. If FCNC
top decays are observed at the LHC, such an analysis may help decipher the
underlying physics.
