ALPs at colliders

New pseudo-scalars, often called axion-like particles (ALPs), abound in model-building and are often associated with the breaking of a new symmetry. Traditional searches and indirect bounds are limited to light axions, typically in or below the KeV range for ALPs coupled to photons. We present collider bounds on ALPs from mono-γ, tri-γ and mono-jet searches in a model independent fashion, as well as the prospects for the LHC and future machines. We find that they are complementary to existing searches, as they are sensitive to heavier ALPs and have the capability to cover an otherwise inaccessible region of parameter space. We also show that, assuming certain model dependent correlations between the ALP coupling to photons and gluons as well as considering the validity of the effective description of ALP interactions, mono-jet searches are in fact more suitable and effective in indirectly constraining ALP scenarios

Dimension-8 SMEFT Analysis of Minimal Scalar Field Extensions of the Standard Model

We analyze the constraints obtainable from present data using the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) on extensions of the Standard Model with additional electroweak singlet or triplet scalar fields. We compare results obtained using only contributions that are linear in dimension-6 operator coefficients with those obtained including terms quadratic in these coefficients as well as contributions that are linear in dimension-8 operator coefficients. We also implement theoretical constraints arising from the stability of the electroweak vacuum and perturbative unitarity. Analyzing the models at the dimension-8 level constrains scalar couplings that are not bounded at the dimension-6 level. The strongest experimental constraints on the singlet model are provided by Higgs coupling measurements, whereas electroweak precision observables provide the strongest constraints on the triplet model. In the singlet model the present di-Higgs constraints already play a significant role. We find that the current constraints on model parameters are already competitive with those anticipated from future di- and tri-Higgs measurements. We compare our results with calculations in the full model, exhibiting the improvements when higher-order SMEFT terms are included. We also identify regions in parameter space where the SMEFT approximation appears to break down. We find that the combination of current constraints with the theoretical bounds still admits regions where the SMEFT approach is not valid, particularly for lower scalar boson masses.Comment: 66 Pages, 14 Figures, 4 Table

Complementarity of Forward-Backward Asymmetry for discovery of Z' bosons at the Large Hadron Collider

The Forward-Backward Asymmetry (AFB) in Z' physics is commonly only thought of as an observable which possibly allows one to profiling a Z' signal by distinguishing different models embedding such (heavy) spin-1 bosons. In this brief review, we examine the potential of AFB in setting bounds on or even discovering a Z' at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and proof that it might be a powerful tool for this purpose. We analyse two different scenarios: Z's with a narrow and wide width, respectively. We find that, in both cases, AFB can complement the conventional searches in accessing Z' signals traditionally based on cross section measurements only.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1504.0316

Light and Darkness: consistently coupling dark matter to photons via effective operators

We revise the treatment of fermionic dark matter interacting with photons via dimension-5 and -6 effective operators. We show how the application of the effective operators beyond their validity introduces unphysical, gauge violating effects that are relevant for current experimental searches. Restoring gauge invariance by coupling dark matter to the hypercharge gauge field has implications for the parameter space above and below the electroweak scale. We review the phenomenology of these hypercharge form factors at the LHC as well as for direct and indirect detection experiments. We highlight where the electromagnetic and hypercharge descriptions lead to wildly different conclusions about the viable parameter space and the relative sensitivity of various probes. These include a drastic weakening of vector bosons fusion versus mono-jet searches at the LHC, and the incorrect impression that indirect searches could lead to better constraints than direct detection for larger dark matter masses. We find that the dimension-5 operators are strongly constrained by direct detection bounds, while for dimension-6 operators LHC mono-jet searches are competitive or performing better than the other probes we consider.Comment: 24 pages, 14 figures, 2 tables. Matches published version, additional information in figure

Forward-Backward Asymmetry as a Discovery Tool for Z' Bosons at the LHC

The Forward-Backward Asymmetry (AFB) in Z' physics is commonly only perceived as the observable which possibly allows one to interpret a Z' signal by distinguishing different models of such (heavy) spin-1 bosons. In this paper, we examine the potential of AFB in setting bounds on or even discovering a Z' boson at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and show that it might be a powerful tool for this purpose. We analyse two different scenarios: Z' bosons with a narrow and wide width, respectively. We find that, in the first case, the significance of the AFB search can be comparable with that of the bump search usually adopted by the experimental collaborations; however, being a ratio of (differential) cross sections the AFB has the advantage of reducing systematical errors. In the second case, the AFB search can win over the bump search in terms of event shape, as the structure of the AFB distribution as a function of the invariant mass of the reconstructed Z'boson could nail down the new broad resonance much better than the event counting strategy usually adopted in such cases.Comment: 27 pages, 17 figure

Single top production in association with a WZ pair at the LHC in the SMEFT

We study single top quark production in association with a WZ pair at the LHC in the context of the Standard Model (SM) and the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT). A significant advantage of tWZ compared to other EW top production processes is its sensitivity to unitarity-violating behaviour induced in its 2 → 2 sub-amplitudes through modified EW interactions. At NLO in QCD, tWZ interferes with tt‾ overline{t} tZ and tt‾ overline{t} t and a method to meaningfully separate it from these overlapping processes needs to be employed. In order to define tWZ production for total rates and differential distributions, we consider the approaches proposed in the literature for similar cases and find that diagram-removal procedures provide reliable results both for the SM and the SMEFT in a suitably defined phase-space region. We provide robust results for total and differential cross sections for tWZ at 13 TeV, including the six relevant dimension-6 operators (OtW mathcal{O} _{tW}OtW​,OtZ mathcal{O} _{tZ}OtZ​,OtG mathcal{O} _{tG}OtG​,OφQ(−) {mathcal{O}}_{arphi Q}^{left(- ight)} OφQ(−)​,OφQ(3) {mathcal{O}}_{arphi Q}^{(3)} OφQ(3)​,Oφt mathcal{O} _{φt}Oφt​), also matching short-distance events to parton shower