Heavy vector triplets: bridging theory and data

We introduce a model-independent strategy to study narrow resonances which we apply to a heavy vector triplet of the Standard Model (SM) 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, conversely, to identify the peculiarities of different explicit realizations. Secondly, limits on σ × BR 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, like σ × BR. Finite width effects altering the limits can be considerably reduced by focusing on the on-shell signal region. We illustrate this aspect with a study of the invariant mass distribution in di-lepton searches and the transverse mass distribution in lepton-neutrino final states. In addition to this paper we provide a set of online tools available at a dedicated webpage [1].