Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: We explore a possible decay of the top quark into a new scalar $ϕ_t$ plus a charm quark. The decay is mediated by a dimension-5 operator that may be generated by the exchange of a heavy vectorlike quark, $χ$, and can have a branching fraction close to a percent. In a minimal model, $ϕ_t$ decays due to the same operator that allows the nonstandard top decay, leading to a final state involving a $c$ jet, a $b$ jet and a $W$ boson. Hence, the top quark would undergo a nonstandard cascade decay through $ϕ_t$ and then through an off-shell top quark. The main nonstandard collider signal is a $t \bar t \to c \, \bar c \, b \, \bar b \, W^+ W^-$ process. In addition, production of the vectorlike quark at the LHC would lead to a signal of the type $χϕ_t \, j \to 3c + b \, \bar b \, W W j$.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: G1229526393, G2011917337, G2371548206, G2376186588, G303061748, Constraining intra-galactic substructure with ultrafaint dwarfs and its implications for particle dark matter, G4654690619, G495301720, G498139845, G5570207115, G6471802762, Research in Particle Theory, Cosmology, and Quantum Gravity, G8382000481, G97770923
OpenAlex ID: W7220928526