Elements of the phenomenology of color-octet scalars (sgluons), as predicted in the hybrid N=1/N=2 supersymmetric model, are discussed in the light of forthcoming experiments at the CERN Large Hadron Collider.
The color gauge hyper-multiplet in N=2 supersymmetry consists of the usual N=1 gauge vector/gaugino super-multiplet, joined with a novel gaugino/scalar super-multiplet. Large cross sections are predicted for the production of pairs of the color-octet scalars $sigma$ [sgluons] at the LHC: $gg, qbar{q} to sigmasigma^{ast}$. Single $sigma$ production is possible at one-loop level, but the $g gto sigma$ amplitude vanishes in the limit of degenerate $L$ and $R$ squarks. When kinematically allowed, $sigma$ decays predominantly into two gluinos, whose cascade decays give rise to a burst of eight or more jets together with four LSPs as signature for $sigma$ pair events at the LHC. $sigma$ can also decay into a squark-antisquark pair at tree level. At one-loop level $sigma$ decays into gluons or a $t bar t$ pair are predicted, generating exciting resonance signatures in the final states. The corresponding partial widths are very roughly comparable to that for three body final states mediated by one virtual squark at tree level.
New physics at the weak scale that can couple to quarks typically gives rise to unacceptably large flavor changing neutral currents. An attractive way to avoid this problem is to impose the principal of minimal flavor violation (MFV). Recently it was noted that in MFV only scalars with the same gauge quantum numbers as the standard model Higgs doublet or color octet scalars with the same weak quantum numbers as the Higgs doublet can couple to quarks. In this paper we compute the one-loop rate for production of a single color octet scalar through gluon fusion at the LHC, which can become greater than the tree level pair production rate for octet scalar masses around a TeV. We also calculate the precision electroweak constraint from Z decays to a b and anti-b quark; this constraint on color octet mass and Yukawa coupling affects the allowed range for single octet scalar production through gluon fusion.
We consider a color octet scalar particle and its exotic decay in the channel gluon-$gamma$ using an effective Lagrangian description for its strong and electromagnetic interactions. Such a state is present in many extensions of the Standard Model, and in particular in composite Higgs models with top partial compositeness, where couplings to photons arise via the Wess-Zumino-Witten term. We find that final states with one or two photons allow for a better reach at the LHC, even for small branching ratios. Masses up to $1.2$ TeV can be probed at the HL-LHC by use of all final states. Finally, we estimate the sensitivity of the hadronic FCC.
In this work we study the collider phenomenology of color-octet scalars (sgluons) in supersymmetric models with Dirac gaugino masses that feature an explicitly broken $R$ symmetry ($R$-broken models). We construct such models by augmenting minimal $R$-symmetric models with a fairly general set of supersymmetric and softly supersymmetry-breaking operators that explicitly break $R$ symmetry. We then compute the rates of all significant two-body decays and highlight new features that appear as a result of $R$ symmetry breaking, including enhancements to extant decay rates, novel tree- and loop-level decays, and improved cross sections of single sgluon production. We demonstrate in some detail how the familiar results from minimal $R$-symmetric models can be obtained by restoring $R$ symmetry. In parallel to this discussion, we explore constraints on these models from the Large Hadron Collider. We find that, in general, $R$ symmetry breaking quantitatively affects existing limits on color-octet scalars, perhaps closing loopholes for light CP-odd (pseudoscalar) sgluons while opening one for a light CP-even (scalar) particle. Qualitatively, however, we find that -- much as for minimal $R$-symmetric models, despite stark differences in phenomenology -- scenarios with broken $R$ symmetry and two sgluons below the TeV scale can be accommodated by existing searches.
Colored dark sectors where the dark matter particle is accompanied by colored partners have recently attracted theoretical and phenomenological interest. We explore the possibility that the dark sector consists of the dark matter particle and a color-octet partner, where the interaction with the Standard Model is governed by an effective operator involving gluons. The resulting interactions resemble the color analogues of electric and magnetic dipole moments. Although many phenomenological features of this kind of model only depend on the group representation of the partner under SU(3)$_c$, we point out that interesting collider signatures such as $R$-hadrons are indeed controlled by the interaction operator between the dark and visible sector. We perform a study of the current constraints and future reach of LHC searches, where the complementarity between different possible signals is highlighted and exploited.