Prospect and implications of $cg\to bH^+\to b A W^+$ production at the LHC

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential to discover a specific charged Higgs production process at the LHC, which could confirm or rule out certain two Higgs Doublet Model explanations for observed particle physics anomalies.

Contribution

It introduces the prospect of detecting the $cg\to bH^+\to b A W^+$ process at the LHC and assesses its implications for the general two Higgs Doublet Model and related experimental anomalies.

Findings

The process can be discovered at LHC Run 3.

Current Run 2 data can significantly constrain the model.

The process can rule out the g2HDM explanation for the CMS $A\to t\bar{t}$ excess.

Abstract

We study the prospect for discovering the $cg\to bH^+\to b A W^+$ process at the LHC. Induced by the top-flavor changing neutral Higgs coupling $\rho_{tc}$, the process may emerge if $m_{H^+} > m_A + m_{W^+}$, where $H^+$ and $A$ are charged and $CP$-odd Higgs bosons in the general two Higgs Doublet Model (g2HDM). We show that the $cg\to bH^+\to b A W^+$ process can be discovered at LHC Run 3, while the full Run 2 data at hand can constrain the parameter space significantly by searching for the same-sign dilepton final state. The process has unique implications on the hint of $gg\to A \to t \bar t$ excess at $m_A\approx 400$ GeV reported by CMS. When combined with other existing constraints, the $cg\to bH^+\to b A W^+$ process can essentially rule out the g2HDM explanation of such an excess.