Search for spin-3/2 quarks at the Large Hadron Collider

TL;DR

This paper investigates the potential for detecting spin-3/2 quarks at the LHC by analyzing their production and decay channels, providing predictions for observable mass ranges based on simulated signals and backgrounds.

Contribution

It offers a detailed analysis of spin-3/2 quark pair production and decay signatures at the LHC, including sensitivity estimates across different collision energies.

Findings

Potential to discover spin-3/2 quarks up to certain mass thresholds at LHC energies.

Decay channels predominantly involve top or bottom quarks with gluons or light jets.

Analysis of signal and background processes at sqrt{s}=7, 8, and 14 TeV.

Abstract

We consider the pair production of color triplet spin-3/2 quarks and their subsequent decays at the LHC. This particle, if produced, will most likely decay into top quark and gluon, bottom quark and gluon, or a light quark jet and gluon, depending on the quantum number of the spin-3/2 particle. This would lead to signals with ttbar+jj, bbbar+jj, or 4j in the final states. We present a detailed analysis of the signals and backgrounds at sqrt{s}= 7, 8 and 14 TeV and show the reach for such particles by solving for observable mass values for the spin-3/2 quarks through its decay products.