Probing displaced top quark signature at the LHC Run 3

• Published in: The European physical journal. C, Particles and fields Vol. 83; no. 4; pp. 299 - 28
• Main Authors: Andrea, Jeremy, Bloch, Daniel, Conte, Éric, Darej, Douja, Ducrocq, Robin, Nibigira, Emery
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-04-2023; Springer; Springer Nature B.V; SpringerOpen
• Subjects: Analysis; Apexes; Astronomy; Astrophysics and Cosmology; Displacement; Elementary Particles; Hadrons; Heavy Ions; Large Hadron Collider; Measurement Science and Instrumentation; Mediation; Nuclear Energy; Nuclear Physics; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Quantum Field Theories; Quantum Field Theory; Quarks; Regular Article - Theoretical Physics; String Theory; Supersymmetry
• ISSN: 1434-6052; 1434-6044; 1434-6052
• DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-023-11470-6

In the context of prospective studies for searches of new physics at the LHC Run 3, this paper investigates the relevance of using top quarks produced from new long-lived particles, and detected in the tracker volume of the ATLAS and CMS experiments. Such a signature, referred to as
displaced top quarks
, leads to final states containing displaced vertices and a high multiplicity of displaced jets and tracks, thanks to the top quark decays. Therefore, it is a possible powerful tool for searching for new long-lived particles. Three simplified models based on supersymmetry are explicitly designed for the study of this signature. They differ according to the nature of the long-lived heavy particle which produces at least one top quark: electrically neutral or charged, coloured or non-coloured long-lived particle. For each model, a wide region of parameter space, consistent with a reasonable number of displaced top quarks decaying in a typical tracker volume has been probed. From this study, promising benchmarks are defined and experimental guidelines are suggested.