English

Collider constraints on axion-like particles

High Energy Physics - Experiment 2021-02-25 v2 High Energy Physics - Phenomenology Nuclear Experiment Nuclear Theory

Abstract

The current status and future prospects of searches for axion-like particles (ALPs) at colliders, mostly focused on the CERN LHC, are summarized. Constraints on ALPs with masses above a few GeV that couple to photons, as well as to Z or Higgs bosons, have been set at the LHC through searches for new aγγa\to\gamma\gamma resonances in di-, tri-, and four-photon final states. Inclusive and exclusive diphotons in proton-proton and lead-lead collisions, pp, PbPb aγγ(+X)\to a \to \gamma\gamma (+X), as well as exotic Z and Higgs boson decays, pp Z,Haγ3γ\to \mathrm{Z},\mathrm{H}\to a\gamma \to 3\gamma and pp Haa4γ\to \mathrm{H}\to aa \to 4\gamma, have been analyzed. Exclusive searches in PbPb collisions provide the best exclusion limits for ALP masses ma5m_a\approx 5-100 GeV, whereas the other channels are the most competitive ones over ma100m_a\approx 100 GeV-2.6 TeV. Integrated ALP production cross sections up to \sim100 nb are excluded at 95% confidence level, corresponding to constraints on axion-photon couplings down to gaγg_{a\gamma}\approx 0.05 TeV1^{-1}, over broad mass ranges. Factors of 10-100 improvements in these limits are expected at the LHC approaching gaγ103g_{a\gamma}\approx 10^{-3} TeV1^{-1} over ma1m_a\approx 1 GeV-5 TeV in the next decade.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2102.08971,
  title  = {Collider constraints on axion-like particles},
  author = {David d'Enterria},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2102.08971},
  year   = {2021}
}

Comments

11 pages, 8 plots, extended contribution to the 'Feebly-Interacting Particles (FIPs) 2020 Workshop Report'

R2 v1 2026-06-23T23:15:46.388Z