Production of Singlet dominated scalar(s) at the LHC

TL;DR

This paper calculates the next-to-leading order corrections to the production cross-section of a singlet-like scalar at the LHC, improving the accuracy of predictions for experimental limits.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed NLO correction calculations for singlet-like scalar production, refining theoretical predictions for collider searches.

Findings

NLO corrections increase the predicted production cross-section.

Improved cross-sections lead to more stringent LHC limits.

The results enhance the understanding of singlet scalar phenomenology.

Abstract

The leading order production of an SM singlet-like scalar has primarily been realized through the gluon fusion process by mixing with the $SU(2)_L$ scalar doublet of the model. The dominant part of the physical state, i.e., the singlet component, does not have any role in its direct production. Focusing on such a state with a mass smaller than the SM-like Higgs scalar, we calculate the dominant next-to-leading (NLO) order corrections to its production cross-section. With these improved cross-sections, the present and future LHC limits may become somewhat more stringent.