Leptoquarkscan

Leptoquarkscan is a term used in particle physics to describe a data analysis approach or framework designed to search for signals of leptoquarks in collider data. Leptoquarks are hypothetical particles that couple simultaneously to leptons and quarks, predicted by several beyond-Standard-Model theories. The concept of leptoquarkscan encompasses systematic methods to explore a broad range of leptoquark parameters, including mass, spin, and coupling strengths, across multiple production and decay channels.

In practice, leptoquarkscan involves assembling and processing data from high-energy experiments, most notably proton-proton colliders such as the Large Hadron Collider. Analysts implement event selection criteria to isolate final states with leptons and jets, model backgrounds with simulation and data-driven techniques, and apply statistical tools to test for excesses above the expected background. Multivariate techniques, including machine learning classifiers and likelihood fits, are commonly employed to enhance sensitivity.

The analysis typically covers both pair production, which depends mainly on the leptoquark mass, and single production, which is sensitive to the leptoquark–lepton–quark coupling. Results are interpreted in terms of exclusion limits or potential signals in the mass–coupling plane, with current experiments placing stringent constraints that vary by leptoquark type and decay channel. While no conclusive evidence has been observed to date, leptoquarkscan frameworks guide the systematic exploration of available data and inform future search strategies.

See also: Leptoquark, collider phenomenology, beyond the Standard Model.