Search for Light Scalars in the TRSM at the LHC

TL;DR

This paper investigates the potential to discover light scalar particles beyond the Standard Model at the LHC through specific production and decay channels involving vector bosons and multiple b-quarks.

Contribution

It introduces a search strategy for light scalars in extended scalar sectors, focusing on the $h_2 o h_1 h_1 o 4b$ decay mode in association with vector bosons at the LHC.

Findings

Preliminary results show promising discovery prospects at 13.6 TeV with high luminosity.

The analysis uses detector parameterizations to evaluate statistical significance.

The channel provides a complementary probe of extended scalar sectors.

Abstract

We study the production of Beyond the Standard Model light scalar states in association with a vector boson ($Vh_2$, with $V = W^\pm, Z$) at the LHC. We consider the scenario where the Standard Model scalar sector is extended by two real scalar singlets, where these additional scalars have mass $ M_i \leq M_{h_{125}}$. In this work, the scalar boson $h_2$ decays via $h_2 \to h_1 h_1 \to 4b$, while the associated vector boson decays either into a pair of oppositely charged leptons or into a single charged lepton and a neutrino. We analyze the signal using LHC detector parameterizations and evaluate its statistical significance at a center-of-mass energy of 13.6~TeV for integrated luminosities of 300~fb$^{-1}$ and 3000~fb$^{-1}$ corresponding to the LHC Run 3 and High Luminosity LHC, respectively. Our preliminary results indicate promising discovery prospects for this channel serving as a complementary probe of extended scalar sectors.\\ RBI-ThPhys-2026-04, COMETA-2026-04