Searching for single production of vectorlike quarks decaying into Wb at a future muon-proton collider

TL;DR

This study evaluates the potential of future muon-proton colliders to discover or exclude high-mass vectorlike quarks decaying into Wb, demonstrating superior sensitivity compared to current LHC limits through detailed simulations.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of VLQ discovery prospects at future muon-proton colliders, highlighting their enhanced sensitivity in the boosted jet regime.

Findings

Hadronic channel offers superior sensitivity for VLQ detection.

Discovery reach extends beyond current LHC limits, up to 3750-4100 GeV.

Exclusion limits surpass existing collider capabilities.

Abstract

This work investigates the discovery potential for singly produced vectorlike quarks~(VLQs) $T$ ($Q=+2/3e$) and $Y$ ($Q=-4/3e$) decaying to $Wb$ at future $\mu p$ colliders with $\sqrt{s}=5.29$, 6.48, and 9.16 TeV, analyzing both leptonic and hadronic $W$ decay channels through detailed detector simulations. The hadronic channel demonstrates superior sensitivity, enabling $5\sigma$ discovery up to $m_T=3750$ GeV ($m_Y=4100$ GeV) at 9.16 TeV with 100 fb$^{-1}$, while exclusion limits reach $m_T=4500$ GeV ($g^*\geq0.06$) and $m_Y=4800$ GeV ($\kappa_Y\geq0.04$) - significantly beyond LHC capabilities. At 5.29 TeV, discovery regions cover $g^*\in[0.15,0.5]$ for $m_T\in[1500,2520]$ GeV and $\kappa_Y\in[0.12,0.5]$ for $m_Y\in[1700,2700]$ GeV, with exclusions extending to $m_T=2750$ GeV and $m_Y=3020$ GeV. These results, obtained within a simplified two-parameter framework ($m_{T/Y}$ and electroweak couplings $g^{\ast}$), establish $\mu p$ colliders as uniquely powerful tools for probing high-mass VLQ states, particularly in the boosted jet regime.