Heavy Vector Triplets: Bridging Theory and Data
Andrea Thamm (EPFL / CERN)

I will discuss a model-independent strategy to study narrow resonances applied to a heavy vector triplet of the Standard Model group for illustration. The method is based on a simplified phenomenological Lagrangian which reproduces a large class of explicit models. Firstly, this allows us to derive robust model-independent phenomenological features and to identify the peculiarities of different explicit realizations. Secondly, limits on cross section times branching ratios can be converted into bounds on a few relevant parameters in a fully analytic way, allowing for an interpretation in any given explicit model. Based on the available 8 TeV LHC analyses, we derive current limits and interpret them for vector triplets arising in weakly coupled (gauge) and strongly coupled (composite) extensions of the SM. We point out that a model-independent limit setting procedure must be based on purely on-shell quantities. Finite width effects altering the limits can be considerably reduced by focusing on the on-shell signal region.