${SO(10)}$ inspired $Z'$ models at the LHC

TL;DR

This paper investigates $Z'$ models derived from $SO(10)$ grand unification, focusing on their detection prospects at the LHC and how to distinguish different $U(1)$ gauge structures through decay signatures and asymmetry measurements.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of $Z'$ signals from $SO(10)$-inspired models at the LHC, including novel methods to differentiate models using leptonic asymmetries.

Findings

Leptonic forward-backward asymmetry can distinguish $U(1)_{R} imes U(1)_{B-L}$ from $U(1)_{Y} imes U(1)_{B-L}$ models.

Predicted $Z'$ decay modes include di-leptons and Higgs bosons.

Analysis shows potential for high-luminosity LHC to identify model-specific signatures.

Abstract

We study and compare various $Z'$ models arising from $SO(10)$, focussing in particular on the Abelian subgroup $U(1)_{R} \times U(1)_{B-L}$, broken at the TeV scale to Standard Model hypercharge $U(1)_{Y}$. The gauge group $U(1)_{R} \times U(1)_{B-L}$, which is equivalent to the $U(1)_{Y}\times U(1)_{\chi}$ in a different basis, is well motivated from $SO(10)$ breaking and allows neutrino mass via the linear seesaw mechanism. Assuming supersymmetry, we consider single step gauge unification to predict the gauge couplings, then consider the detection and characterisation prospects of the resulting $Z'$ at the LHC by studying its possible decay modes into di-leptons as well as into Higgs bosons. The main new result here is to analyse in detail the expected leptonic forward-backward asymmetry at the high luminosity LHC and show that it may be used to discriminate the $U(1)_{R} \times U(1)_{B-L}$ model from the usual $B-L$ model based on $U(1)_{Y}\times U(1)_{B-L}$.