A search for heavy axion-like particles in light-by-light scattering at the FCC-hh

TL;DR

This paper investigates the potential of the future FCC-hh collider to detect heavy axion-like particles through light-by-light scattering, providing cross section calculations and exclusion limits across different collision types.

Contribution

It presents the first detailed analysis of heavy ALP production via light-by-light scattering at FCC-hh, including cross sections and discovery/exclusion limits for various collision scenarios.

Findings

Strongest ALP coupling limits at m_a ≈ 250 GeV in PbPb collisions.

FCC-hh can probe ALPs up to 1 TeV mass in pp and pPb collisions.

Results outperform current LHC bounds for heavy ALPs.

Abstract

A virtual production of heavy axion-like particles (ALPs) via light-by-light scattering in pp, pPb and Pb collisions at the future 100 TeV collider FCC-hh is studied. Both differential and total cross sections are calculated. The 95\% C.L. exclusion limits, as well as $3\sigma$ and $5\sigma$ discovery limits on an ALP coupling constant versus ALP mass $m_a$ are given, using integrated luminosities of 30 ab$^{-1}$, 27 pb$^{-1}$ and 110 nb$^{-1}$. Our results are compared with the current LHC bounds. The strongest limit on the ALP coupling is obtained if $m_a \simeq 250$ GeV for the PbPb collisions, and if $m_a \simeq 1$ TeV for pp or pPb collisions. This suggests that the FCC-hh has a great physics potential of searching for the heavy ALPs.