Constraints on axion-like particles via associated diboson production in hadronic collisions

Abstract

We investigate the sensitivity of current and future hadron-collider experiments to axion-like particles (ALPs) through associated diboson production, focusing on a linear effective field theory framework with bosonic ALP couplings. We analyze the dominant production mechanisms and relevant backgrounds, considering the impact of jet misidentification rates on the diboson background. We present our results using conservative jet-misidentification rates, and derive four dimensional constraints on the ALP couplings to gluons, weak bosons, and photons. Our findings highlight the potential of the high-luminosity phase of the CERN Large Hadron Collider to probe the ALP parameter space in the sub-GeV mass range, as well as the codependencies of the various ALP couplings.

Figures (1)

• Figure 22: Combined 95% C.L. exclusion contours for the bosonic ALP couplings derived from the combination of the diboson channels $a\gamma\gamma$, $aW^\pm\gamma$, $aZ\gamma$, $aZW^\pm$, $aW^+W^-$, $aZZ$, considering the leptonic and invisible $Z$ boson decays as well as the leptonic $W^\pm$ boson decays. Panels (a) and (c) show the constraints for the LHC with $\int\mathcal{L} = 450~\text{fb}^{-1}$, and panels (b) and (d) the projections for the HL-LHC with $\int\mathcal{L} = 3000~\text{fb}^{-1}$. For (a) and (b) we used $c_G=0.1~\text{TeV}^{-1}$, and for (c) and (d) $c_G=1~\text{TeV}^{-1}$. The regions outside the contours are excluded.