Profiling the Higgs boson requires the study of its non-standard decay modes. In this work we discuss the prospects of the Large Hadron electron Collider (LHeC) to detect scalar particles with masses $\gtrsim$ 10 GeV produced from decays of the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson. These scalar particles decay mainly to bottom pairs, and in a vast portion of the allowed parameter space they acquire a macroscopic lifetime, hence giving rise to displaced hadronic vertices. The LHeC provides a very clean environment that allows for easy identification of these final states, in contrast to hadronic colliders where the overwhelming backgrounds and high pile-up render such searches incredibly challenging. We find that the LHeC provides a unique window of opportunity to detect scalar particles with masses between 10 GeV and half the SM Higgs mass. In the Higgs Portal scenarios we can test the mixing angle squared, $\sin^2 α$, as low as $10^{-5} - 10^{-7}$, with the exact value depending on the vacuum expectation value of the new scalar.
Our results are also presented in a model-independent fashion in the lifetime-branching ratio and mass-branching ratio planes. We have found that exotic branching ratios of the Higgs boson at the sub-percent level can be probed, for the scalar decay length in the range $10^{-4}$ m $\lesssim c τ\lesssim 10^{-1}$ m. The expected coverage of the parameter space largely exceeds the published sensitivity of the indirect reach at the high-luminosity Large Hadron Collider via the invisible Higgs branching ratio.
Extending the Standard Model with right-handed neutrinos (RHNs) is well motivated by the observation of neutrino oscillations. In the type-I seesaw model, the RHNs interact with the SM particles via tiny mixings with the active neutrinos, which makes their discovery in the laboratory, and in particular at collider experiments in general challenging. In this work we instead consider an extension of the type-I seesaw model with the addition of a leptoquark (LQ), and employ a non-minimal production mechanism of the RHN via LQ decay, which is unsuppressed by neutrino mixing. We focus on relatively…
We study the exotic decay of the 125 GeV Higgs boson ($h$) into a pair of light spin-0 particles ($ϕ$) which subsequently decays and results in a $4b$ final state. This decay mode is well motivated in the Next to Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM) and extended Higgs sector models. Instead of searching at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) which are beset by large Standard Model (SM) backgrounds, we investigate this decay channel at the much cleaner Large Hadron Electron Collider (LHeC). With some simple selection cuts this channel …
The diquark exotics which couple to a pair of quarks are predicted by the Compositeness and Superstring inspired E_{6} model. We study the single production of scalar diquarks at LHeC based gamma p collider options. The background for three jet final states are examined through appropriate kinematical cuts. We discuss the possibility of measurements for the charges of scalar diquarks (qq and qq').
Extensions of the Standard Model (SM) gauge group with a new $U(1)_X$ predict an additional gauge boson. Through kinetic mixing with the SM photons featured by a coupling $ε$, the ensuing so-called dark photons $γ'$, which acquire mass as a result of the breaking of the gauge group $U(1)_X$, can interact with the SM field content. These massive dark photons can therefore decay to pairs of leptons, hadrons, or quarks, depending on their mass $m_{γ'}$. In this work, we discuss searches for dark photons in the mass range around and below one GeV at the LHeC and FCC-he colliders. The signal is giv…
The CMS phase II track trigger may allow for a displaced dimuon vertex trigger with qualitatively lower $p_T$ thresholds than existing dimuon triggers. With this technique, we show that the CMS reach for exotic $B$-meson decays involving a displaced dimuon resonance, such as a light, Higgs-mixed scalar, can be competitive with that of LHCb and Belle II.
We investigate the single production and decay of charge -1/3, weak isosinglet vectorlike exotic $D$ quarks in string inspired $E_6$ theories at future ep colliders; THERA with $\sqrt s$=1 TeV, L=40 $pb^{-1}$ and CERN Large Hadron Electron Collider (LHeC) with $\sqrt s$=1.4 TeV, $L=10^4$ $pb^{-1}$. We found that an analysis of the decay modes of $D$ should probe the mass ranges of 100-450 GeV and 100-1200 GeV at the center of mass energies, 1 and 1.4 TeV, respectively.
We investigate a prospect of probing the type-III seesaw neutrino mass generation mechanism at various collider experiments by searching for a disappearing track and a displaced vertex signature originating from the decay of $SU(2)_L$ triplet fermion ($Σ$). Since $Σ$ is primarily produced at colliders through the electroweak gauge interactions, its production rate is uniquely determined by its mass. We find that a $Σ$ particle with a mass of a few hundred GeV produces a disappearing track signature from the decay of its charged component, which can be searched at the HL-LHC. Furthermore, we sh…
We investigate the physics case for a dedicated trigger on a low mass, hadronic displaced vertex at the high luminosity LHC, relying on the CMS phase II track trigger. We estimate the trigger efficiency with a simplified simulation of the CMS track trigger and show that the L1 trigger rate from fake vertices, B meson decays and secondary interactions with the detector material can likely be brought down to the kHz level with a minimal set of cuts. While it would with any doubt be a severe experimental challenge to implement, we conclude that a displaced vertex trigger could open qualitatively …
The possibility that the 125 GeV Higgs boson may decay into invisible non-standard-model (non-SM) particles is theoretically and phenomenologically intriguing. In this letter we investigate the sensitivity of the Large Hadron Electron Collider (LHeC) to an invisibly decaying Higgs, in its proposed high luminosity running mode. We focus on the neutral current Higgs production channel which offers more kinematical handles than its charged current counterpart. The signal contains one electron, one jet and large missing energy. With a cut-based parton level analysis, we estimate that if the $hZZ$ …
We investigate the potential reach of a search for a long-lived/prompt dark vector boson $Z_D$, also called dark $Z$, and a prompt dark Higgs boson $h_D$ through exotic decays of the observed Higgs boson $h$ into either $Z_DZ_D$, $h_Dh_D$, or $ZZ_D$ with $Z$ being the hypercharge gauge boson. The $Z_D$ production through the Higgs portal is completed via one of two mechanisms, kinetic mixing of $Z_D$ with $Z$ and the mixing of $h_D$ with $h$. All production modes of $h$ are considered, while the branching fractions are calculated in Monte Carlo simulation using the {\textsc{MadGraph5}}\_aMC@NL…
The Twin Higgs model provides a natural theory for the electroweak symmetry breaking without the need of new particles carrying the standard model gauge charges below a few TeV. In the low energy theory, the only probe comes from the mixing of the Higgs fields in the standard model and twin sectors. However, an ultraviolet completion is required below ~ 10 TeV to remove residual logarithmic divergences. In non-supersymmetric completions, new exotic fermions charged under both the standard model and twin gauge symmetries have to be present to accompany the top quark, thus providing a high energ…
A muon jet ($μ$-jet) is a very special feature that consists of a cluster of collimated muons from the decay of a fast moving light particle of mass about $\mathcal{O}$(1 GeV). We will use this feature to search for very light particles from rare decays of the Higgs boson. For such a small angular separation of muons which might come from a long-lived particle, both ATLAS and CMS could have the displaced-vertexing-reconstruction capability. We use two simple models of the Higgs-portal type to explore the possibilities of event topologies with two $2μ$-jets, one $2μ$-jet $\&$ one $4μ$-jet, and …
We study LHC signatures of displaced vertices and long-lived charged particles within the context of the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model with right-handed (RH) sneutrinos. In this construction the RH neutrino can be produced directly from Higgs decays or in association with a RH sneutrino when the latter is the lightest supersymmetric particle. The RH neutrino is generally long-lived, since its decay width is proportional to the neutrino Yukawa, a parameter which is predicted to be small. The RH neutrino late decay can therefore give rise to displaced vertices at the LHC, which c…
We initiate the study of exotic Higgs decays to long-lived particles (LLPs) at proposed future lepton colliders, focusing on scenarios with displaced hadronic final states. Our analysis entails a realistic tracker-based search strategy involving the reconstruction of displaced secondary vertices and the imposition of selection cuts appropriate for eliminating the largest irreducible backgrounds. The projected sensitivity is broadly competitive with that of the LHC and potentially superior at lower LLP masses. In addition to forecasting branching ratio limits, which may be freely interpreted in…
The Twin Higgs mechanism keeps the scalar sector of the Standard Model (SM) natural while remaining consistent with the non-observation of new colored particles at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). In this construction the heavy twin Higgs boson provides a portal between the SM particles and the twin sector, but is quite challenging to discover at colliders. In the Fraternal Twin Higgs setup, where light twin quarks are absent, we study a novel discovery channel for the heavy twin Higgs boson by considering its decay to a pair of light Higgs bosons, one of which subsequently decays to glueball …
New light bosons that couple weakly to the standard model (SM) particles are predicted in various extensions of the standard model (BSM). Examples include supersymmetric (SUSY) theories with extended Higgs sectors or with a hidden valleys (dark SUSY). In these models the light bosons can be produced directly in the decay of a Higgs boson, or as part of the decay chain of SUSY particles. Depending on the branching fraction, the exotic decays of the SM-Higgs can be undetected in standard analysis techniques or due to its modified production cross section of the Higgs bosons at the LHC. Therefore…
We advocate for the construction of a new detector element at the LHCb experiment, designed to search for displaced decays of beyond standard model long-lived particles, taking advantage of a large shielded space in the LHCb cavern that is expected to soon become available. We discuss the general features and putative capabilities of such an experiment, as well as its various advantages and complementarities with respect to the existing LHC experiments and proposals such as SHiP and MATHUSLA. For two well-motivated beyond Standard Model benchmark scenarios -- Higgs decay to dark photons and $B…
The LHCb detector provides accurate vertex reconstruction and hadronic particle identification, which make the experiment an ideal place to look for light long-lived particles (LLP) decaying into Standard Model (SM) hadrons. In contrast with the typical search strategy relying on energetic jets and a high multiplicity of tracks from the LLP decay, LHCb can identify LLPs in exclusive, specific hadronic final states. To illustrate the idea, we study the sensitivity of LHCb to an exotic Higgs decay $h\to SS$, followed by the displaced decay of GeV-scale scalars into charged kaons $S\to K^+K^-$. W…
It is a distinct possibility that a Hidden Valley sector would have a spectrum of light particles consisting of both stable and unstable dark mesons. The simultaneous presence of these two types of particles can lead to novel mechanisms for generating the correct dark matter relic abundance, which in turn can reflect themselves into new exotic signatures at colliders. We study the viability of such sectors for various Hidden Valley models and map the valid parameter space to possible collider signatures. Mediators studied include various scalar bifundamentals and a heavy $Z'$. It is shown that…
The possibility of producing a measurable long-lived dark $Z$ boson, that is assumed to be produced either via its kinetic mixing with the hypercharge gauge boson or via mixing of the observed 125-GeV Higgs boson with the dark Higgs boson, called Higgs mixing, in Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is investigated. Displaced dimuons in the final state are considered where each of the $Z$ and the dark $Z$ bosons decays directly to a dimuon. The Higgs production cross sections via gluon-gluon fusion at 13 TeV calculated to a combination of next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order with QCD corr…
LHC experiments can provide a remarkable sensitivity to exotic metastable massive particles, decaying with significant displacement from the interaction point. The best sensitivity is achieved to models where the production and decay occur due to different coupling constants, and the lifetime of exotic particles determines the probability of decay within a detector. The lifetimes of such particles can be independently limited from standard cosmology, in particular the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. In this paper, we analyze the constraints on the simplest scalar model coupled through the Higgs port…
Minimal universal extra dimensions (mUED) is often thought to predict that the lightest Kaluza-Klein particle (LKP) is the Kaluza-Klein gauge boson B^1, leading to conventional missing energy signals at colliders and WIMP dark matter. In fact, the implications of mUED are far richer: the B^1, charged Higgs boson H^{\pm 1}, and graviton G^1 are all possible LKPs, leading to many different ``phases'' with distinct signatures. Considering the complete phase diagram, we find predictions for charged or neutral particles with decay lengths of microns to tens of meters; WIMP, superWIMP, or charged re…
We investigate the pair-production of right-handed neutrinos via the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson in a gauged $B-L$ model. The right-handed neutrinos with a mass of few tens of GeV generating viable light neutrino masses via the seesaw mechanism naturally exhibit displaced vertices and distinctive signatures at the LHC and proposed lepton colliders. The production rate of the right-handed neutrinos depends on the mixing between the SM Higgs and the exotic Higgs associated with the $B-L$ breaking, whereas their decay length depends on the active-sterile neutrino mixing. We focus on the displ…
In this study we consider an extension of the Standard Model with a complex hypercharge zero triplet scalar. In this scenario one of the charged Higgs bosons remains purely triplet and does not couple to the fermions, making it elusive at colliders. Also the physical pseudoscalar is a pure triplet and this purity makes it a suitable dark matter candidate without the need of discrete symmetries, unlike other extensions. The bounds from relic density and direct dark matter search experiments select its mass to be $\sim 1.35-1.60$ TeV. The pure triplet charged Higgs gives rise to displaced signat…
We investigate the spectacular collider signatures of macroscopically displaced, neutral particles that decay to Higgs bosons and missing energy. We show that such long-lived particles arise naturally in a very minimal extension of the Standard Model with only two new fermions with electroweak interactions. The lifetime of the long-lived neutral particles can range from 10^{-2} mm to 10^6 mm. In some regions of the parameter space, the exotic signals would have already been selected by the ATLAS and CMS triggers in their 7 and 8 TeV runs, hence hiding in the existing data. We also discuss the …
Long-lived, colour-triplet scalars are a generic prediction of unnatural, or split, composite Higgs models where the spontaneous global-symmetry breaking scale $f \gtrsim 10$ TeV and an unbroken $SU(5)$ symmetry is preserved. Since the triplet scalars are pseudo Nambu-Goldstone bosons they are split from the much heavier composite-sector resonances and are the lightest exotic, coloured states. This makes them ideal to search for at colliders. Due to discrete symmetries the triplet scalar decays via a dimension-six term and given the large suppression scale $f$ is often metastable. We show that…
We explore strategies for probing Hidden Valley scenarios exhibiting confinement. Such scenarios lead to a multiplicity of light hidden hadrons from showering processes. Their decays are typically soft and displaced, making them challenging to probe with traditional LHC searches. We show the low trigger thresholds and excellent track and vertex reconstruction at LHCb provide an ideal environment to search for such signals -- in both muonic and hadronic channels. We also explore the potential of ATLAS/CMS and discuss modifications to present searches that might make these experiments competitiv…
We study displaced vertex signatures of long-lived particles (LLPs) from exotic Higgs decays in the context of a Higgs-portal model and a neutral-naturalness model at the CEPC and FCC-ee. Such two models feature two representative mass ranges for LLPs, which show very different behavior in their decay signatures. The Higgs-portal model contains a very light sub-GeV scalar boson stemming from a singlet scalar field appended to the Standard Model. Such a light scalar LLP decays into a pair of muons or pions, giving rise to a distinctive signature of collimated muon-jet or pion-jet, thanks to the…
Axion or axion-like particle (ALP) has been usually considered as a CP-odd Nambu-Goldstone boson (NGB) from the spontaneous breakdown of a global U(1) symmetry. In this paper, we point out that the NGB behaves as a CP-even particle coupled to the SM particles in a large class of simple (or perhaps the simplest) renormalizable models. We provide a first study of the collider phenomenology and cosmology of the CP-even ALP. In a natural parameter region, the CP-even ALP can be produced from the Higgs boson decay in colliders. When the mass is not very light, the signals will be Higgs exotic decay…
High-energy colliders offer a unique sensitivity to dark photons, the mediators of a broken dark U(1) gauge theory that kinetically mixes with the Standard Model (SM) hypercharge. Dark photons can be detected in the exotic decay of the 125 GeV Higgs boson, h -> Z Z_D -> 4l, and in Drell-Yan events, pp -> Z_D -> ll. If the dark U(1) is broken by a hidden-sector Higgs mechanism, then mixing between the dark and SM Higgs bosons also allows the exotic decay h -> Z_D Z_D -> 4l. We show that the 14 TeV LHC and a 100 TeV proton-proton collider provide powerful probes of both exotic Higgs decay channe…
The fate of R-parity in the context of the minimal supersymmetric standard model is a central issue which has profound implications for particle physics and cosmology. In this article we discuss the possibility of testing the mechanism responsible for the stability of the lightest supersymmetric particle at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The simplest theoretical framework where R-parity conservation can be explained dynamically allows for two types of B-L models. In the first scenario the new Higgses decay mainly into two right-handed neutrinos giving rise to exotic lepton number violating s…
Discoveries at the LHC will soon set the physics agenda for future colliders. This report of a CERN Theory Institute includes the summaries of Working Groups that reviewed the physics goals and prospects of LHC running with 10 to 300/fb of integrated luminosity, of the proposed sLHC luminosity upgrade, of the ILC, of CLIC, of the LHeC and of a muon collider. The four Working Groups considered possible scenarios for the first 10/fb of data at the LHC in which (i) a state with properties that are compatible with a Higgs boson is discovered, (ii) no such state is discovered either because the Hig…
ALP production in Lepton Flavour Violating meson, tau and gauge boson decays
Instituto de Física Corpuscular, Universidad de Valencia and CSIC（瓦伦西亚大学与西班牙国家研究委员会联合粒子物理研究所）；School of Physics, Nankai University（南开大学物理学院）；PRISMA ++ Cluster of Excellence & Mainz Institute for Theoretical Physics Johannes Gutenberg University（约翰内斯·古腾堡美因茨大学美因茨理论物理研究所）；Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati（意大利国家核物理研究院弗拉斯卡蒂国家实验室）
We propose a two Higgs doublet Type III seesaw model with $μ$-$τ$ flavor symmetry. We add an additional SU(2) Higgs doublet and three SU(2) fermion triplets in our model. The presence of two Higgs doublets allows for natural explanation of small neutrino masses with triplet fermions in the 100 GeV mass range, without fine tuning of the Yukawa couplings to extremely small values. The triplet fermions couple to the gauge bosons and can be thus produced at the LHC. We study in detail the effective cross-sections for the production and subsequent decays of these heavy exotic fermions. We show for …
