Vector Boson Fusion Searches for Dark Matter at the LHC

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential of vector boson fusion events at the LHC to detect dark matter models interacting via the electroweak sector, using realistic simulations to project future discovery prospects.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of VBF-based dark matter searches at the LHC, incorporating realistic detector simulations and error estimates to project future sensitivities.

Findings

VBF topology effectively suppresses backgrounds for dark matter searches.

Projected LHC sensitivities could discover or exclude certain dark matter models.

Effective operators and scalar mediators show significant VBF production cross-sections.

Abstract

The vector boson fusion (VBF) event topology at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) allows efficient suppression of dijet backgrounds and is therefore a promising target for new physics searches. We consider dark matter models which interact with the Standard Model through the electroweak sector: either through new scalar and pseudoscalar mediators which can be embedded into the Higgs sector, or via effective operators suppressed by some higher scale, and therefore have significant VBF production cross-sections. Using realistic simulations of the ATLAS and CMS analysis chain, including estimates of major error sources, we project the discovery and exclusion potential of the LHC for these models over the next decade.