# Probing vector-like quark models with Higgs-boson pair production

## TL;DR

This paper explores how vector-like quarks can enhance Higgs-boson pair production at the LHC, analyzing the potential to distinguish these signals from standard processes using detailed kinematic studies.

## Contribution

It provides a detailed phenomenological analysis of vector-like quark-induced di-Higgs production, including NLO QCD corrections and strategies to differentiate production mechanisms.

## Key findings

- Existing LHC analyses have some sensitivity to vector-like quark signals.
- Kinematic properties can help distinguish different di-Higgs production mechanisms.
- Next-to-leading-order corrections improve prediction accuracy.

## Abstract

We investigate Higgs-boson pair production at the LHC when the final state system arises from decays of vector-like quarks coupling to the Higgs boson and the Standard Model quarks. Our phenomenological study includes next-to-leading-order QCD corrections, which are important to guarantee accurate predictions, and focuses on a detailed analysis of a di-Higgs signal in the four $b$-jet channel. Whereas existing Run II CMS and ATLAS analyses are not specifically designed for probing non-resonant, vector-like-quark induced, di-Higgs production, we show that they nevertheless offer some potential for these modes. We then investigate the possibility of distinguishing between the various di-Higgs production mechanisms by exploiting the kinematic properties of the signal.