LHC bounds on coloured scalars

TL;DR

This paper investigates constraints on coloured scalar bosons from LHC data, showing that non-fermiophobic scalars below 800 GeV are excluded, thus narrowing the viable parameter space for such particles.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive analysis of LHC bounds on colour-octet scalars within the Minimal Flavour Violation framework.

Findings

Coloured scalars below 800 GeV are excluded if not fermiophobic.

Current LHC data strongly constrains models with coloured scalars.

Fermiophobic scalars remain less constrained by existing data.

Abstract

We analyze the constraints on coloured scalar bosons imposed by the current LHC data at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV. Specifically, we consider an additional electroweak doublet of colour-octet scalars, satisfying the principle of Minimal Flavour Violation in order to fulfill the stringent experimental limits on flavour-changing neutral currents. We demonstrate that coloured scalars with masses below 800 GeV are already excluded, provided they are not fermiophobic.