SO(10) grand unification in light of recent LHC searches and colored scalars at the TeV-scale

TL;DR

This paper explores the compatibility of recent LHC signals with TeV-scale left-right models within a minimal nonsupersymmetric SO(10) framework, highlighting the role of colored scalars and the challenges in achieving the correct gauge coupling.

Contribution

It demonstrates that relaxing the extended survival hypothesis allows for light colored scalars and a TeV-scale W_R boson in SO(10) models, with detailed RG analysis.

Findings

Light color-triplet and color-sextet scalars are viable at TeV-scale.

Achieving the correct gauge coupling g_R at TeV-scale is challenging.

Models with specific colored scalars can accommodate TeV-scale W_R bosons.

Abstract

We analyze the compatibility of the recent LHC signals and the TeV-scale left-right model(s) in the minimal nonsupersymmetric $SO(10)$ framework. We show that the models in which the Higgs content is selected based on the extended survival hypothesis do not allow the $W_R$ boson to be at the TeV-scale. By relaxing this conjecture, we investigate various scenarios where a number of colored-scalars, originated from various Pati-Salam multiplets, are light and whence they survive down to the low energies. Performing a detailed renormalization group analysis with various low-energy Higgs configurations and symmetry breaking chains, while keeping the high energy Higgs content unmodified; we find that, among a number of possibilities, the models which have a light color-triplet scalar, and its combination with a light color-sextet, particularly stand out. Although these models do allow a TeV-scale $W_R$ boson, generating the required value of the gauge coupling $g_R$ at this scale is non-trivial.