Speaker
Jonathan Kozaczuk
(TRIUMF)
Description
Many extensions of the Standard Model, such as the NMSSM, can predict new, relatively light pseudoscalars with Higgs-like couplings to Standard Model fermions. In particular, simple models of this type in which the pseudoscalar also couples to dark matter can explain the GeV Galactic Center excess as observed by the Fermi Large Area Telescope. In this talk, I will discuss the prospects for observing these light states at the LHC through their couplings to Standard Model fermions. While existing searches effectively probe heavy (>90 GeV) pseudoscalars, the 13 TeV LHC could cover much of the interesting parameter space in the intermediate mass range in which the new state can have appreciable Yukawa-like couplings but would have escaped detection by LEP and other experiments. While I will focus on scenarios motivated by the Galactic Center excess, the searches I discuss apply generally to new physics scenarios featuring light pseudoscalars with significant couplings to Standard Model quarks and leptons.
Primary author
Jonathan Kozaczuk
(TRIUMF)
Co-author
Travis Martin
(TRIUMF)
