Contrasting Pseudoscalar Higgs and Toponium States at the LHC and Beyond

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Main Authors: Djouadi, Abdelhak, Ellis, John, Quevillon, Jeremie
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Djouadi, Abdelhak
Ellis, John
Quevillon, Jeremie
author_facet Djouadi, Abdelhak
Ellis, John
Quevillon, Jeremie
contents We discuss ways to discriminate at hadron colliders between a quasi-bound toponium state and a pseudoscalar Higgs boson A, as predicted in many extensions of the Standard Model. We apply the discussion to the excess of t tbar threshold events recently observed at the LHC by the CMS collaboration \cite{CMS}, which could in principle be due to either possibility. Working in an effective theory in which only an additional pseudoscalar A boson is present in the spectrum, with a mass above the 2 m_t threshold and a significant coupling to top quarks, we discuss the interference between A production in the dominant gluon-fusion process gg \to A with subsequent A\to t tbar decays, and the QCD continuum background, gg\to t tbar. While this interference is absent in the case of toponium, it is essential for evaluating A production. It is difficult to resolve the peak/dip structure that it generates because of the experimental smearing of the t tbar invariant mass spectrum. However, by comparing the total A production rates for different integration domains of the t tbar invariant mass or, eventually, at different center of mass energies, one may be able to observe its effects. We then discuss additional mechanisms for A production in pp collisions, including loop-induced production in association with the lighter h boson, gg \to hA, and production in association with top-quark pairs, gg/q\bar q \to t tbar. A These mechanisms have small cross sections at the LHC, and their observation will necessitate higher luminosities or collider energies.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2412_15138
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Contrasting Pseudoscalar Higgs and Toponium States at the LHC and Beyond
Djouadi, Abdelhak
Ellis, John
Quevillon, Jeremie
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
High Energy Physics - Experiment
We discuss ways to discriminate at hadron colliders between a quasi-bound toponium state and a pseudoscalar Higgs boson A, as predicted in many extensions of the Standard Model. We apply the discussion to the excess of t tbar threshold events recently observed at the LHC by the CMS collaboration \cite{CMS}, which could in principle be due to either possibility. Working in an effective theory in which only an additional pseudoscalar A boson is present in the spectrum, with a mass above the 2 m_t threshold and a significant coupling to top quarks, we discuss the interference between A production in the dominant gluon-fusion process gg \to A with subsequent A\to t tbar decays, and the QCD continuum background, gg\to t tbar. While this interference is absent in the case of toponium, it is essential for evaluating A production. It is difficult to resolve the peak/dip structure that it generates because of the experimental smearing of the t tbar invariant mass spectrum. However, by comparing the total A production rates for different integration domains of the t tbar invariant mass or, eventually, at different center of mass energies, one may be able to observe its effects. We then discuss additional mechanisms for A production in pp collisions, including loop-induced production in association with the lighter h boson, gg \to hA, and production in association with top-quark pairs, gg/q\bar q \to t tbar. A These mechanisms have small cross sections at the LHC, and their observation will necessitate higher luminosities or collider energies.
title Contrasting Pseudoscalar Higgs and Toponium States at the LHC and Beyond
topic High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
High Energy Physics - Experiment
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.15138