- Open Access
Nonstandard decays of vectorlike top partners in a two-Higgs-doublet model at the HL-LHC
Phys. Rev. D 114, 075003 – Published 2 October, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/9pv5-qcfv
Abstract
Extensions of the Standard Model featuring both an enlarged scalar sector and vector-like fermions arise naturally in a wide class of well-motivated theoretical frameworks. In such scenarios, vectorlike quarks (VLQs) can exhibit nonstandard decay modes involving additional Higgs states, giving rise to distinctive collider signatures that remain largely unexplored by existing experimental searches. We investigate the prospects of probing this possibility at the high-luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) through the decay of vector-like top partner () to charged Higgs () followed by the decay, , producing a final state containing two tau leptons, two jets, and missing transverse energy. A model-independent collider analysis is performed using global kinematic observables constructed from visible objects and the missing transverse momentum vector to suppress the dominant backgrounds. Polarization-sensitive observables built from the hadronic decay products are also examined as complementary probes of the spin-0 origin of the leptons. The expected discovery sensitivity is evaluated using the Asimov significance for an integrated luminosity of at . Our results demonstrate that the (where is the missing transverse energy) channel provides a promising and largely orthogonal avenue to search for non-standard VLQ decays in extended Higgs sectors, with discovery-level sensitivity achievable for VLQ masses up to approximately 1.9 TeV.
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