# THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF THE LIGHTEST PSEUDO NAMBU GOLDSTONE BOSON AT FUTURE COLLIDERS 11footnote 1Talk given at the International Workshop on Linear Colliders, Sitges, Barcelona, Spain, April 28-May 5, 1999.

## 1 Introduction

Theories of the electroweak interactions based on dynamical symmetry breaking (DSB) avoid the introduction of fundamental scalar fields but generally predict many pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone bosons (PNGB’s) due to the breaking of a large initial global symmetry group $`G`$. Among the PNGB’s the colorless neutral states are the lightest ones. Direct observation of a PNGB would not have been possible at any existing accelerator, however light the PNGB’s are, unless the number of technicolors, denoted $`N_{TC}`$, is very large. The phenomenological analysis presented here is extracted from ref., where all the details can be found, and is based on a $`SU(8)\times SU(8)`$ effective low-energy Lagrangian approach. In the broad class of models considered, the lightest neutral PNGB $`P^0`$ is of particular interest because it contains only down-type techniquarks (and charged technileptons) and thus will have a mass scale that is most naturally set by the mass of the $`b`$-quark. The $`P^0`$ total width is typically in the few $`\mathrm{MeV}`$ range and dominant decay modes are $`b\overline{b}`$, $`\tau ^+\tau ^{}`$ and $`gg`$. Other color-singlet PNGB’s will have masses most naturally set by $`m_t`$, while color non-singlet PNGB’s will generally be even heavier.

Detection of the PNGB’s at the Tevatron and LHC colliders, has been extensively considered . However, inclusive $`gg`$ fusion production of a neutral PNGB, followed by its decay to $`\gamma \gamma `$, was not given detailed consideration until recently . In this paper it was noticed that for a particular class of models the ratio $`\mathrm{\Gamma }(P^0gg)B(P^0\gamma \gamma )/\mathrm{\Gamma }(Hgg)B(H\gamma \gamma )`$ with $`H`$ being the SM Higgs and $`N_{TC}=4`$ is of the order $`10^2`$ for $`50m_{P^0/H}(\mathrm{GeV})150`$. Therefore, using the results on the Higgs analysis, we can conclude that, for $`N_{TC}=4`$, the $`P^0`$ can be detected in the $`ggP^0\gamma \gamma `$ mode for at least $`3050<m_{P^0}<150200\mathrm{GeV}`$, or perhaps also at Tevatron RunII with $`S/\sqrt{B}3`$ for $`m_{P^0}60\mathrm{GeV}`$.

## 2 $`e^+e^{}`$ mode

The best mode for $`P^0`$ production at an $`e^+e^{}`$ collider (with $`\sqrt{s}>m_Z`$) is $`e^+e^{}\gamma P^0`$. Because the $`P^0Z\gamma `$ coupling-squared is much smaller than the $`P^0\gamma \gamma `$ coupling-squared, the dominant diagram is $`e^+e^{}\gamma \gamma P^0`$. Even when kinematically allowed, rates in the $`e^+e^{}ZP^0`$ channel are substantially smaller, as we shall discuss. We will give results for the moderate value of $`N_{TC}=4`$. For $`\sqrt{s}=200\mathrm{GeV}`$, we find that, after imposing an angular cut of $`20^{}\theta 160^{}`$ on the outgoing photon (a convenient acceptance cut that also avoids the forward/backward cross section singularities but is more than 91% efficient), the $`e^+e^{}\gamma P^0`$ cross section is below $`1\mathrm{fb}`$ for $`N_{TC}=4`$. Given that the maximum integrated luminosity anticipated is of order $`L0.5\mathrm{fb}^1`$, we conclude that LEP2 will not allow detection of the $`P^0`$ unless $`N_{TC}`$ is very large.

The cross section for $`e^+e^{}\gamma P^0`$ at $`\sqrt{s}=500\mathrm{GeV}`$, after imposing the same angular cut, ranges from $`0.9\mathrm{fb}`$ down to $`0.5\mathrm{fb}`$ as $`m_{P^0}`$ goes from zero up to $`200\mathrm{GeV}`$. For $`L=50\mathrm{fb}^1`$, we have at most 45 events with which to discover and study the $`P^0`$. The $`e^+e^{}ZP^0`$ cross section is even smaller. Without cuts and without considering any specific $`Z`$ or $`P^0`$ decay modes, it ranges from $`0.014\mathrm{fb}`$ down to $`0.008\mathrm{fb}`$ over the same mass range. If TESLA is able to achieve $`L=500\mathrm{fb}^1`$ per year, $`\gamma P^0`$ production will have a substantial rate, but the $`ZP^0`$ production rate will still not be useful. Since the $`\gamma P^0`$ production rate scales as $`N_{TC}^2`$, if $`N_{TC}=1`$ a $`\sqrt{s}=500\mathrm{GeV}`$ machine will yield at most 3 (30) events for $`L=50\mathrm{fb}^1`$ ($`500\mathrm{fb}^1`$), making $`P^0`$ detection and study extremely difficult. Thus, we will focus our analysis on the $`N_{TC}=4`$ case.

In order to assess the $`\gamma P^0`$ situation more fully, we must consider backgrounds. The dominant decay modes of the $`P^0`$ are typically to $`b\overline{b}`$, $`\tau ^+\tau ^{}`$ or $`gg`$. For the $`b\overline{b}`$ and $`gg`$ modes, the backgrounds relevant to the $`\gamma P^0`$ channel are $`\gamma b\overline{b}`$, $`\gamma c\overline{c}`$ and $`\gamma q\overline{q}`$ ($`q=u,d,s`$) production. The cross sections for these processes obtained after integrating over a 10 GeV bin size in the quark-antiquark mass are, for $`10<m_{P^0}<80\mathrm{GeV}`$ and $`m_{P^0}100\mathrm{GeV}`$, of the same order of the signal.

Results for $`S/\sqrt{B}`$, in the various tagged channels, for $`N_{TC}=4`$ and assuming $`L=100\mathrm{fb}^1`$ (and $`L=500\mathrm{fb}^1`$) at $`\sqrt{s}=500\mathrm{GeV}`$, are plotted in Fig. 1. We have assumed a mass window of $`\mathrm{\Delta }M_X=10\mathrm{GeV}`$ in evaluating the backgrounds in the various channels. Also shown in Fig. 1 is the largest $`S/\sqrt{B}`$ that can be achieved by considering (at each $`m_{P^0}`$) all possible combinations of the $`gg`$, $`c\overline{c}`$, $`b\overline{b}`$ and $`\tau ^+\tau ^{}`$ channels. From the figure, we find for $`L=100\mathrm{fb}^1`$ $`S/\sqrt{B}3`$ (our discovery criterion) for $`m_{P^0}75\mathrm{GeV}`$ and $`m_{P^0}130\mathrm{GeV}`$, i.e. outside the $`Z`$ region. A strong signal, $`S/\sqrt{B}4`$, is only possible for $`m_{P^0}2060\mathrm{GeV}`$. As the figure shows, the signal in any one channel is often too weak for discovery, and it is only the best channel combination that will reveal a signal. For the TESLA $`L=500\mathrm{fb}^1`$ luminosity, $`S/\sqrt{B}`$ should be multiplied by $`2.2`$ and discovery prospects will be improved. Tagging and mistagging efficiencies have been included .

After discovery, one can determine branching fractions in various channels and couplings. The only channel with reasonable ($`15\%`$) statistical error would be $`b\overline{b}`$, for $`L=500\mathrm{fb}^1`$.

## 3 $`\gamma \gamma `$ mode

By folding the cross section for the $`P^0`$ production at a given energy $`E_{\gamma \gamma }`$ of a $`\gamma \gamma `$ collider with the differential luminosity, one gets 

$`N(\gamma \gamma P^0F)`$ $`=`$ $`{\displaystyle \frac{8\pi \mathrm{\Gamma }(P^0\gamma \gamma )B(P^0F)}{m_{P^0}^2E_{e^+e^{}}}}\mathrm{tan}^1{\displaystyle \frac{\mathrm{\Gamma }_{\mathrm{exp}}}{\mathrm{\Gamma }_{P^0}^{\mathrm{tot}}}}`$ (1)   
$`\times \left(1+\lambda \lambda ^{}\right)G(y_0)L_{e^+e^{}},`$   
where $`y_0=m_{P^0}/E_{e^+e^{}}`$, $`\lambda `$ and $`\lambda ^{}`$ are the helicities of the colliding photons, $`\mathrm{\Gamma }_{\mathrm{exp}}`$ is the mass interval accepted in the final state $`F`$ and $`L_{e^+e^{}}`$ is the integrated luminosity for the colliding electron and positron beams. For initial discovery one chooses initial laser polarizations $`P`$ and $`P^{}`$ and $`e^+e^{}`$ beam helicities $`\lambda _e`$ and $`\lambda _e^{}`$ for a broad spectrum $`2\lambda _eP+1`$, $`2\lambda _e^{}P^{}+1`$, $`PP^{}+1`$ such that $`G>1`$ and $`\lambda \lambda ^{}1`$ (which suppresses $`\gamma \gamma q\overline{q}`$ backgrounds) over the large range $`0.1y_00.7`$. The $`P^0`$ is always sufficiently narrow that $`\mathrm{tan}^1\pi /2`$. In this limit, the rate is proportional to $`\mathrm{\Gamma }(P^0\gamma \gamma )B(P^0F)`$. For the $`P^0`$, $`\mathrm{\Gamma }(P^0\gamma \gamma )`$ is large and the total production rate will be substantial.

Since it is well-established  that the SM $`h`$ can be discovered in this decay mode for $`40<m_h<2m_W`$, it is clear that $`P^0`$ discovery in the $`b\overline{b}`$ final state will be possible up to at least $`200\mathrm{GeV}`$, down to $`0.1\sqrt{s}50\mathrm{GeV}`$ (at $`\sqrt{s}500\mathrm{GeV}`$), below which $`G(y)`$ starts to get small. Discovery at lower values of $`m_{P^0}`$ would require lowering the $`\sqrt{s}`$ of the machine. For the $`b\overline{b}`$ channel, the statistical significance $`S/\sqrt{B}`$ is plotted in Fig. 2.

Once the $`P^0`$ has been discovered, either in $`\gamma \gamma `$ collisions or elsewhere, one can configure the $`\gamma \gamma `$ collision set-up so that the luminosity is peaked at $`\sqrt{s}_{\gamma \gamma }m_{P^0}`$. A very precise measurement of the $`P^0`$ rate in the $`b\overline{b}`$ final state will then be possible if $`N_{TC}=4`$. For example, rescaling the SM Higgs ‘single-tag’ results of Table 1 of Ref.  (which assumes a peaked luminosity distribution with a total of $`L=10\mathrm{fb}^1`$) for the $`106\mathrm{GeV}m_{jj}126\mathrm{GeV}`$ mass window to the case of the $`P^0`$, we obtain $`S5640`$ compared to $`B325`$, after angular, topological tagging and jet cuts. This implies a statistical error for measuring $`\mathrm{\Gamma }(P^0\gamma \gamma )B(P^0b\overline{b})`$ of $`<1.5\%`$. Systematic errors will probably dominate. Following the same procedure for $`N_{TC}=1`$, we find (at this mass) a statistical error for this measurement of $`<5\%`$. Of course, for lower masses the error will worsen. For $`N_{TC}=4`$, we estimate an error for the $`b\overline{b}`$ rate measurement still below $`10\%`$ even at a mass as low as $`m_{P^0}=20\mathrm{GeV}`$ (assuming the $`\sqrt{s}`$ of the machine is lowered sufficiently to focus on this mass without sacrificing luminosity). For $`N_{TC}=1`$, we estimate an error for the $`b\overline{b}`$ rate measurement of order $`1520\%`$ for $`m_{P^0}60\mathrm{GeV}`$.

## 4 Conclusions

We have reviewed the production and study of the lightest pseudo-Nambu Goldstone state $`P^0`$ of a typical technicolor model at future colliders, focusing mainly on $`e^+e^{}`$. For $`N_{TC}=4`$, discovery of the $`P^0`$ in the $`ggP^0\gamma \gamma `$ mode at the LHC will be almost certainly be possible unless its mass is either very small ($`<30\mathrm{GeV}`$?) or very large ($`>200\mathrm{GeV}`$?), where the question marks are related to uncertainties in LHC backgrounds in the inclusive $`\gamma \gamma `$ channel.

In contrast, an $`e^+e^{}`$ collider, while able to discover the $`P^0`$ via $`e^+e^{}\gamma P^0`$, so long as $`m_{P^0}`$ is not close to $`m_Z`$ and $`N_{TC}3`$, is unlikely (unless the TESLA $`500\mathrm{fb}^1`$ per year option is built or $`N_{TC}`$ is very large) to be able to determine the rates for individual $`\gamma F`$ final states ($`F=b\overline{b},\tau ^+\tau ^{},gg`$ being the dominant $`P^0`$ decay modes) with sufficient accuracy as to yield more than very rough indications regarding the important parameters of the technicolor model.

The $`\gamma \gamma `$ option at an $`e^+e^{}`$ collider is actually a more robust means for discovering the $`P^0`$ than direct operation in the $`e^+e^{}`$ collision mode. For $`N_{TC}=4`$, $`\gamma \gamma P^0b\overline{b}`$ should yield an easily detectable $`P^0`$ signal for $`0.1<\frac{m_{P^0}}{\sqrt{s}}<0.7`$. Once $`m_{P^0}`$ is known, the $`\gamma \gamma `$ collision set-up can be re-configured to yield a luminosity distribution that is strongly peaked at $`\sqrt{s}_{\gamma \gamma }m_{P^0}`$ and, for much of the mass range of $`m_{P^0}<200\mathrm{GeV}`$, a measurement of $`\mathrm{\Gamma }(P^0\gamma \gamma )B(P^0b\overline{b})`$ can be made with statistical accuracy in the $`<2\%`$ range.

A $`\mu ^+\mu ^{}`$ collider would be crucial for detecting a light $`P^0`$ ($`m_{P^0}<30\mathrm{GeV}`$) and would play a very special role with regard to determining key properties of the $`P^0`$ . In particular, the $`P^0`$, being, in the class of models we have considered, comprised of $`D\overline{D}`$ and $`E\overline{E}`$ techniquarks, will naturally have couplings to the down-type quarks and charged leptons of the SM. Thus, $`s`$-channel production ($`\mu ^+\mu ^{}P^0`$) is predicted to have a substantial rate for $`\sqrt{s}m_{P^0}`$. Because the $`P^0`$ has a very narrow width, in order to maximize this rate it is important that one operates the $`\mu ^+\mu ^{}`$ collider so as to have extremely small beam energy spread, $`R=0.003\%`$. The complete analysis of how the precision $`\mu ^+\mu ^{}`$ measurements of various channel rates together with LHC and $`e^+e^{}`$ measurement can determine (up to a discrete set of ambiguities) the parameters of the effective low-energy Yukawa Lagrangian that determine $`T_3=1/2`$ fermion masses and their couplings to the $`P^0`$ can be found in .

## Acknowledgments

I would like to thank R. Casalbuoni, S. De Curtis, A. Deandrea, R. Gatto and J. Gunion for the fruitful and enjoyable collaboration on the topics covered here and R. Rückl for interesting discussions..

## References