Vectorlike quarks and heavy colored bosons at the LHC

Abstract

We investigate the production of heavy colored scalars and vectors and their relevance at the LHC for the study of vectorlike quarks (T). These colored states (C) are present in a large number of extensions of the standard model, in particular, in composite models and in extradimensional models. Assuming that these bosonic states are heavier than the vectorlike quarks (VLQ), we consider their production through the process pp→C→tT. Large QCD production cross sections for C enable us to probe heavier masses for the VLQ, thereby allowing us to put stronger limits on the vectorlike quarks which are produced in their decay chain. We adopt a universal analysis strategy by including leptons under the classification of "jets," thereby limiting the bias towards a specific combination of final state. We also study the possibility of disentangling these scenarios from supersymmetric extensions of the standard model by using simple discriminants based on jet multiplicity and missing energy. We demonstrate that a simple set of cuts is sufficient to disentangle the VLQ signal from the backgrounds. In models with a moderate B.R.(C→Tt), the analysis enables one to get a hint of VLQ masses as heavy as 3 TeV.