Light-flavor squark reconstruction at CLIC

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that a 3 TeV CLIC collider can measure TeV-scale light-flavored squark masses with sub-percent accuracy using advanced jet reconstruction techniques, despite complex backgrounds.

Contribution

The paper provides a detailed simulation-based analysis of squark mass measurement prospects at CLIC, highlighting the effectiveness of jet algorithms in high-energy, background-rich environments.

Findings

Sub-percent mass measurement accuracy is achievable for TeV-scale squarks.

The longitudinally invariant kt algorithm is robust against beam-induced backgrounds.

Jet reconstruction techniques are validated for events with high missing energy.

Abstract

We present a simulation study of the prospects for the mass measurement of TeV-scale light-flavored right-handed squarks at a 3 TeV e+e- collider based on CLIC technology. In the considered model, these particles decay into their standard-model counterparts and the lightest neutralino, resulting in a signature of two jets plus missing energy. The analysis is based on full GEANT4 simulations of the CLIC_ILD detector concept, including Standard Model physics backgrounds and beam-induced hadronic backgrounds from two-photon processes. The analysis serves as a generic benchmark for the reconstruction of highly energetic jets in events with substantial missing energy. Several jet finding algorithms were evaluated, with the longitudinally invariant kt algorithm showing a high degree of robustness towards beam-induced background while preserving the features typically found in algorithms developed for e+e- collisions. The presented study of the reconstruction of light-flavored squarks shows that for TeV-scale squark masses, sub-percent accuracy on the mass measurement can be achieved at CLIC.