Single top production associated with a neutral scalar at LHC in topcolor-assisted technicolor

Understand

The topcolor-assisted technicolor (TC2) model predicts a number of neutral scalars like the top-pion ($\pi^0_t$) and the top-Higgs ($h^0_t$).

• These scalars have flavor-changing neutral-current (FCNC) top quark couplings, among which the top-charm transition couplings may be sizable.
• Such FCNC couplings induce single top productions associated with a neutral scalar at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) through the parton processes $cg \to t \pi_t^0$ and $cg \to t h_t^0$.
• In this note we examine these productions and find their production rates can exceed the $3\sigma$ sensitivity of the LHC in a large part of parameter space.