SM EFT effects in Vector-Boson Scattering at the LHC

TL;DR

This paper investigates how dimension-6 operators in Standard Model Effective Field Theory affect vector-boson scattering at the HL-LHC, highlighting potential signals of new physics accessible with future data.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of SM EFT effects in VBS processes, emphasizing the importance of certain operators and their detectability at the HL-LHC.

Findings

Dimension-6 operators significantly influence VBS processes.

Current fits allow for detectable signals at the HL-LHC.

Effects are most notable for operators involving three SU(2) field strength tensors.

Abstract

The assumption that the Standard Model is an Effective Field Theory (SM EFT) of a more fundamental theory at a higher, than electroweak, energy scale, implies a growth of cross-sections for electroweak Vector Boson Scattering (VBS) processes signalling the appearance of a resonance (or resonances) nearby that scale. In this article, we investigate in detail SM EFT effects from dimension-6 operators in VBS with like-sign-$W$ production in fully leptonic decay modes at the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC). We find that these effects are important for a handful of operators, most notably for the operator composed of three $SU(2)$ field strength tensors responsible for strong transversely polarized vector boson interactions. Current global fits on Wilson-coefficients allow for a signal immediately permissive at the HL-LHC if not accessible at the current LHC-dataset.