A light NMSSM pseudoscalar Higgs boson at the LHC Run 2

TL;DR

This paper investigates the potential for detecting a light pseudoscalar Higgs boson in the NMSSM at the LHC Run 2, analyzing its production mechanisms and decay signatures under current constraints.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the parameter space and possible LHC signatures for the light pseudoscalar Higgs in the NMSSM with partial unification.

Findings

Light pseudoscalar can be produced via heavy Higgs decay at the LHC.

Detectable through $A_1\to \tau^+\tau^-$ and $b\bar{b}$ decay modes.

Potential for discovery during LHC Run 2.

Abstract

We revisit the light pseudoscalar $A_1$ in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM) with partial universality at some high unification scale in order to delineate the parameter space regions consistent with up-to-date theoretical and experimental constraints and examine to what extent this state can be probed by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) during Run 2. We find that it can be accessible through a variety of signatures proceeding via $A_1\to \tau^+\tau^-$ and/or $b\bar b$, the former assuming hadronic decays and the latter two $b$-tags within a fat jet or two separate slim ones. Herein, the light pseudoscalar state is produced from a heavy Higgs boson decay in either pairs or singly in association with a $Z$ boson (in turn decaying into electrons/muons).