Search for a light $Z^\prime$ at LHC in a neutrinophilic $U(1)$ model

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential for discovering a light $Z'$ gauge boson in a neutrinophilic $U(1)$ extension of the Standard Model at the LHC, focusing on specific multilepton signatures in the 200-500 GeV mass range.

Contribution

It introduces a neutrinophilic $U(1)$ model with a light $Z'$ and proposes search strategies for its detection at the LHC, considering kinetic mixing effects.

Findings

Light $Z'$ can evade current constraints if it does not directly couple to SM fields.

Multilepton final states are promising channels for $Z'$ discovery at the LHC.

Mass range of 200-500 GeV is accessible with specific LHC search strategies.

Abstract

We consider a neutrinophilic $U(1)$ extension of the standard model (SM) which couples only to SM isosinglet neutral fermions, charged under the new group. The neutral fermions couple to the SM matter fields through Yukawa interactions. The neutrinos in the model get their masses from a standard inverse-seesaw mechanism while an added scalar sector is responsible for the breaking of the gauged $U(1)$ leading to a light neutral gauge boson ($Z'$), which has minimal interaction with the SM sector. We study the phenomenology of having such a light $Z'$ in the context of neutrinophilic interactions as well as the role of allowing kinetic mixing between the new $U(1)$ group with the SM hypercharge group. We show that current experimental searches allow for a very light $Z'$ if it does not couple to SM fields directly and highlight the search strategies at the LHC. We observe that multilepton final states in the form of $(4\ell + \slashed{E}_T)$ and $(3\ell + 2j + \slashed{E}_T)$ could be crucial in discovering such a neutrinophilic gauge boson lying in a mass range of $200$--$500$ GeV.