Abstract
In this paper we investigate a natural extension of the Standard Model that involves varying coupling constants. This is a general expectation in any fundamental theory such as string theory, and there are good reasons for why new physics could appear at reachable energy scales. We investigate the collider phenomenology of models with varying gauge couplings where the variations are associated with real singlet scalar fields. We introduce three different heavy scalar fields that are responsible for the variations of the three gauge couplings of the Standard Model. This gives rise to many interesting collider signatures that we explore, resulting in exclusion limits based on the most recent LHC data, and predictions of the future discovery potential at the high-luminosity LHC.
Highlights
In a fundamental theory, there should be no free parameters
This is a general expectation in any fundamental theory such as string theory, and there are good reasons for why new physics could appear at reachable energy scales
We investigate the collider phenomenology of models with varying gauge couplings where the variations are associated with real singlet scalar fields
Summary
There should be no free parameters. For example, in string theory, all coupling constants are given by vacuum expectation values (vevs) of scalar fields known as moduli fields. In the case of varying couplings, the observed existence of a low energy scalar such as the Higgs boson can be taken as an argument suggesting that the scalars we study in this paper could have reasonably low masses as well. Normalizing with the help of the Planck mass—which is an obvious thing to do in a fundamental theory—it means that the Higgs boson is better thought of as controlling a set of dimensionless parameters in the Standard model This is similar to the scalars we have in mind. We introduced the idea [7] that the scalar field in the Bekenstein model could be heavy, with a mass on the TeV scale, such that it could potentially be discovered at the LHC.
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