Probing light scalars and vector-like quarks at the high-luminosity LHC

Abstract A model based on a $$U(1)_{T^3_R}$$ U ( 1 ) T R 3 extension of the Standard Model can address the mass hierarchy between generations of fermions, explain thermal dark matter abundance, and the muon $$g - 2$$ g - 2 , $$R_{(D)}$$ R ( D ) , and $$R_{(D^*)}$$ R ( D ∗ ) anomalies. The model cont...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: U. S. Qureshi, A. Gurrola, A. Flórez, C. Rodriguez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-04-01
Series:European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14085-1
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Summary:Abstract A model based on a $$U(1)_{T^3_R}$$ U ( 1 ) T R 3 extension of the Standard Model can address the mass hierarchy between generations of fermions, explain thermal dark matter abundance, and the muon $$g - 2$$ g - 2 , $$R_{(D)}$$ R ( D ) , and $$R_{(D^*)}$$ R ( D ∗ ) anomalies. The model contains a light scalar boson $$\phi '$$ ϕ ′ and a heavy vector-like quark $$\chi _\textrm{u}$$ χ u that can be probed at CERN’s large hadron collider (LHC). We perform a phenomenology study on the production of $$\phi '$$ ϕ ′ and $${\chi }_u$$ χ u particles from proton–proton $$(\textrm{pp})$$ ( pp ) collisions at the LHC at $$\sqrt{s}=13.6$$ s = 13.6 TeV, primarily through $$g{-g}$$ g - g and $$t{-\chi _\textrm{u}}$$ t - χ u fusion. We work under a simplified model approach and directly take the $$\chi _\textrm{u}$$ χ u and $$\phi '$$ ϕ ′ masses as free parameters. We perform a phenomenological analysis considering $$\chi _\textrm{u}$$ χ u final states to b-quarks, muons, and neutrinos, and $$\phi '$$ ϕ ′ decays to $$\mu ^+\mu ^-$$ μ + μ - . A machine learning algorithm is used to maximize the signal sensitivity, considering an integrated luminosity of 3000 $$\text {fb}^{-1}$$ fb - 1 . The proposed methodology can be a key mode for discovery over a large mass range, including low masses, traditionally considered difficult due to experimental constraints.
ISSN:1434-6052