Abstract

TeV-scale vector-like quarks (VLQs) are an essential ingredient of many new physics models. Because of their vectorlike nature, they do not contribute to the gauge anomalies and are less restricted than their chiral counterparts by the current experimental data. Ones that couple with the thirdgeneration quarks (top and bottom partners, we shall collectively refer to them as top partners) appear in composite Higgs models with a partially-composite top quark [1– 6], extra-dimensional models [7–11], Little-Higgs models [12–15], etc. However, in the last few years, an extensive direct search program at the LHC has gradually tightened the mass bounds on these quarks. For top partners like the T quark (with electromagnetic charge 2/3) or the B quark (with charge −1/3), the current exclusion limit stands as high as ∼ 1.5 TeV [16–20]. The direct VLQ searches generally assume that they decay exclusively to Standard Model (SM) particles, i.e., to a third-generation quark and a heavy vector-boson or a Higgs. However, this assumption need not hold in general, especially if one looks beyond the minimal models where the top partners can have new decay modes. For example, a top partner can decay to another heavy quark or a new boson [11, 21–43]. A possibility that has attracted some interest in the current literature is that a vector-like top partner decays to a new spinless state singlet under the SM gauge group [i.e., (1, 1, 0) under SU(3)c×SU(2)L ×U(1)Y ] and a third-generation quark. The singlet state could be

Abstract

Most of the popular explanations of the observed anomalies in the semileptonic B-meson decays involve TeV scale Leptoquarks (LQs). Among the various possible LQ models, two particular LQs – S1(3, 1, 1/3) and U1(3, 1, 2/3) seem to be most promising. Here, we use current LHC data to constrain the S 1(3 , 1 , 1 /3) and U 1(3 , 1 , 2 /3) parameter spaces relevant for the RD(∗) observables. We recast the latest ATLAS τ τ resonance search data to obtain new exclusion limits. For this purpose, we consider both resonant (pair and single productions) and nonresonant (t-channel LQ exchange) productions of these LQs at the LHC. For the limits, the most dominant contribution comes from the (destructive) interference of the non-resonant production with Standard Model backgrounds. The combined contributio

Abstract

In addition to the three long-standing anomalies seen in the muon g − 2, RK(∗), and RD(∗) observables by various independent experiments, the CDF collaboration has found another significant one in the W boson mass. These anomalies might be intertwined at a fundamental level and have a single new physics explanation. In this paper, we investigate the possibility of whether these anomalies can be explained in a model of a weak-singlet S1 and a weak-triplet S3 scalar leptoquarks. We find that with an appropriate flavour ansatz and mass mixing between the S1 and S3 leptoquarks through a Higgs portal, the model can explain the four anomalies simultaneously while being consistent with potential spoilsport observables like R νν K(∗) .

Abstract

We devise a novel protocol to detect genuinely multipartite entangled states by harnessing quantum non-Markovian operations. We utilize a particular type of non-Markovianity known as the eternal non-Markovianity to construct a non-complete positive map to filter out the bi-separable states and detect genuine multipartite entanglement. We further propose a witness operator to detect gen- uinely multipartite entangled states experimentally based on this theory. Our study sheds light on a hitherto unexplored connection between entanglement theory and quantum non-Markovianity.

Abstract

At the LHC, the gluon-initiated processes are considered to be the primary source of di-Higgs production. However, in the presence of a new resonance, the light-quark initiated processes can also contribute significantly. In this letter, we look at the di-Higgs production mediated by a new singlet scalar. The singlet is produced in both quark-antiquark and gluon fusion processes through loops involving a scalar leptoquark and right-handed neutrinos. With benchmark parameters inspired from the recent resonant di-Higgs searches by the ATLAS collaboration, we examine the prospects of such a resonance in the TeVrange at the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) in the b¯ bτ +τ − mode with a multivariate analysis. We obtain the 5σ and 2σ contours and find that a significant part of the parameter space is within the reach of the HL-LHC.

Abstract

In the left-right symmetric models, a heavy charged gauge boson W0 can decay to a lepton and a righthanded neutrino (RHN). If the neutrino masses are generated through the standard type-I seesaw mechanism, the Yukawa couplings controlling two-body decays of the RHN become very small. As a result, the RHN decays to another lepton and a pair of jets via an off-shell W0 . This is the basis of the Keung-Senjanović (KS) process, which was originally proposed as a probe of lepton number violation at the LHC. However, if a different mechanism like the inverse seesaw generates the neutrino masses, a TeV-scale RHN can have large Yukawa couplings and hence dominantly decay to a lepton and a W boson, leading to a kinematically different process from the KS one. We investigate the prospect of this unexplored process as a probe of the inverse seesaw mechanism in the left-right symmetric models at the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC). Our signal arises from the Drell-Yan production of a W0 and leads to two high-pT same-flavour-opposite-sign leptons and a boosted W-like fatjet in the final state. We find that a sequential W0 with mass up to ∼6 TeV along with a TeV-scale RHN can be discovered at the HL-LHC.

Abstract

The possibility of a vectorlike top partner decaying to a new colorless weak-singlet scalar or pseudoscalar has attracted some attention in the literature. We investigate the production of a weaksinglet charge-2=3 T quark that can decay to a spinless boson (Φ) and a top quark at the LHC. Earlier [A. Bhardwaj et al., Roadmap to explore vectorlike quarks decaying to a new scalar or pseudoscalar, arXiv:2203.13753.], we showed that in a large part of the parameter space, the T → tΦ and the loopinduced Φ → gg decays become the dominant decay modes for these particles. Here, we investigate the discovery prospects of the T quark in this region through the above decays. In particular, we focus on the pp → TT → ðtΦÞðtΦÞ → ðtðggÞÞðtðggÞÞ channel. Separating this signal from the huge Standard Model background is a challenging task, forcing us to employ a multivariate machine-learning technique. We find that the above channel can be a discovery channel of the top partner in the large part of the parameter space where the above decay chain dominates. Our analysis is largely model independent, and hence our results would be useful in a broad class of new physics models.

Abstract

The presence of a new decay mode relaxes the current mass exclusion limits on vectorlike quarks considerably. We consider the case of a weak-singlet vectorlike B quark that can decay to a singlet scalar or pseudoscalar Φ. In an earlier paper~[A. Bhardwaj et al., Roadmap to explore vectorlike quarks decaying to a new scalar or pseudoscalar, Phys. Rev. D, 106 (2022) 075024 [arXiv:2203.13753]], we mapped the possibilities to explore such setups at the LHC. We showed that it is possible for a B quark to decay into Φ and the Φ to dominantly decay to a pair of gluons or b quark(s) without fine-tuning the parameters. In this paper, we present a collider search strategy to look for the pair production of singlet B quarks. If both B's decay into bΦ pairs, the final state is fully hadronic: BB→(bΦ)(bΦ)→(bgg)(bgg)/(bbb)(bbb), which is very challenging to probe. Therefore, we consider a relatively simpler mixed decay specific to the singlet B case, BB→(bΦ)(tW) with a lepton in the final state, to achieve the best sensitivity at the high-luminosity LHC. We use a Deep Neural Network with a weighted cross-entropy loss to separate the signal from the huge SM background. We see that large areas of the MB−MΦ parameter space are discoverable through this signature. We also show how the discovery and exclusion regions scale with the branching ratio in the new decay mode.

Abstract

We investigate a SO(10) grand unification scenario where the complex 10-dimensional scalar multiplet, containing the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson, resides at the TeV scale altogether. The resulting low-energy model is a 2-Higgs-doublet model augmented with two S1-type leptoquarks. The gauge-coupling unification is achieved with only one intermediate scale at which the Pati-Salam gauge group is broken down to the SM. A U(1)PQ global symmetry is also introduced, with the corresponding axion providing a solution to the strong CP problem while also being an important dark matter candidate. The proton-destabilising couplings of the light leptoquarks are forbidden by a discrete symmetry. We discuss how the simultaneous explanation for the RK(∗) , RD(∗) , and aµ anomalies comes about in the model, and investigate its phenomenological implications. Keywords: B-decay anomalies, scalar leptoquark, SO(10) grand unification, LHC, 2HDM, axions, PecceiQuinn symmetry, strong CP problem, dark matte

Abstract

The current experimental data allow for a sub-TeV colorless weak-singlet scalar or pseudoscalar. If such a singlet field is present together with TeV-range vectorlike top and bottom partners, there is a possibility that the heavy quarks decay dominantly to the singlet state and a third-generation quark, and the singlet state decays to quark and boson pairs. Such a possibility may arise in various models but it has not been explored experimentally, especially in the context of vectorlike-quark searches. We consider some minimal models, covering the possible weak representations of the top and bottom partners, that can be mapped to many well-motivated ultraviolet-complete theories. We chart out the possible interesting and unexplored signatures of the exotic decay of vectorlike quarks and identify benchmark points representing different signal topologies for the high luminosity LHC. We perform a general scan of the …