A benchmark for LHC searches for low-mass custodial fiveplet scalars in the Georgi-Machacek model

Abstract

The Georgi-Machacek (GM) model is used to motivate and interpret LHC searches for doubly charged scalars decaying to vector bosons pairs. The doubly charged scalars are part of a degenerate fermiophobic custodial fiveplet with states $H_5^{\pm\pm}$, $H_5^\pm$, and $H_5^0$ and common mass $m_5$. The GM model has been extensively studied at the LHC for $m_5 > 200$ GeV but there is a largely unprobed region of parameter space from $120$ GeV $< m_5 < 200$ GeV where light doubly-charged scalars could exist. This region has been neglected by experimental searches due in part to the lack of a benchmark for $m_5 < 200$ GeV. In this paper we propose a new "low-$m_5$" benchmark for the GM model, defined for $m_5 \in (50, 550)$ GeV, and characterize its properties. We apply all existing experimental constraints and summarize the phenomenology of the surviving parameter space. We show that the benchmark populates almost the entirety of the relevant allowed parameter plane for $m_5$ below 200 GeV and satisfies the constraints from the 125 GeV Higgs boson signal strengths. We compute the 125 GeV Higgs boson's couplings to fermion and vector boson pairs and show that they are always enhanced in the benchmark relative to those in the Standard Model. We also compute the most relevant production cross sections for $H_5$ at the LHC, including Drell-Yan production of $H_5$ pairs. The process $pp \to H \to H_5 H_5$ contributes in a small region of parameter space, but is small compared to the Drell-Yan production cross section. Finally we compute the branching ratios of $H_5^0 \to γγ$ and $H_5^{\pm} \to W^{\pm} γ$. The width-to-mass ratio of each of the $H_5$ states is below 1\% over the entire benchmark, so that the narrow-width approximation is well justified.