Search for 4th family quarks with the ATLAS detector

TL;DR

This paper investigates the potential to detect heavy fourth-generation quarks at the LHC using ATLAS data, focusing on masses of 500 and 750 GeV, and predicts a clear signature after one year of data collection.

Contribution

It provides a simulation-based analysis predicting observable signatures of fourth-family quarks at the LHC, assuming specific mixing and mass scenarios.

Findings

Clear signatures for fourth-family quarks are expected in ATLAS data.

Detection prospects are promising for masses of 500 and 750 GeV.

Analysis supports the feasibility of discovering new heavy quarks with early LHC data.

Abstract

The pair production of heavy fourth-generation quarks, which are predicted under the hypothesis of flavor democracy, is studied using tree-level Monte Carlo generators and fast detector simulation. Two heavy-quark mass values, 500 and 750$\gev$, are considered with the assumption that the fourth family mixes primarily with the two light families. It is shown that a clear signature will be observed in the data collected by the ATLAS detector, after the first year of low-luminosity running at the Large Hadron Collider.