Searching for dilepton resonances below the Z mass at the LHC

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential of the LHC to detect intermediate mass dilepton resonances, specifically a kinetically mixed Z' boson, which could have escaped previous detection but is accessible through current data analysis.

Contribution

It demonstrates that existing 7 and 8 TeV LHC data can test smaller kinetic mixing parameters than current electroweak bounds for dilepton resonances below the Z mass.

Findings

Existing LHC data can probe smaller kinetic mixing parameters.

Potential to discover new weakly coupled Z' bosons.

Analysis could surpass previous experimental bounds.

Abstract

We consider LHC searches for dilepton resonances in an intermediate mass range, $\sim 10 -80$ GeV. We adopt a kinetically mixed $Z'$ as an example of weakly coupled new physics that might have evaded detection at previous experiments but which could still be probed by LHC dilepton spectrum measurements in this mass range. Based on Monte Carlo simulations, we estimate that existing data from the 7 and 8 TeV LHC could be used to test values of the kinetic mixing parameter $\epsilon$ several times smaller than precision electroweak upper bounds, were an appropriate analysis to be carried out by one of the experimental collaborations.