Speaker
Description
Vector-Like Quarks (VLQs) are a central feature of many BSM scenarios, including Composite Higgs and Extra-Dimensional models. These heavy fermions offer a natural solution to the hierarchy problem and provide a framework for understanding the Standard Model flavor structure. Unlike chiral fourth-generation quarks, VLQs are consistent with current Higgs boson measurements as their masses are not derived from Yukawa couplings. At the LHC, VLQs can be produced in pairs via the strong interaction or singly through electroweak processes. This talk reviews recent VLQ searches performed by the CMS Collaboration, with a focus on final states containing highly boosted objects. We discuss the application of state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms designed to identify the collimated hadronic decay products of W, Z, H bosons, and top quarks. These advanced jet-tagging techniques significantly improve the sensitivity to high-mass VLQs, and the latest exclusion limits from CMS are presented