Explanation of the ATLAS Z-peaked excess by squark pair production in the NMSSM

Abstract: The ATLAS collaboration recently reported a $3\sigma$ excess in the leptonic-$Z+jets+E_{T}^{miss}$ channel. We intend to interpret this excess by squark pair production in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM). The decay chain we employ is $\tilde{q} \to q \tilde{\chi}2^0 \to q \tilde{\chi}_1^0 Z$, where $\tilde{\chi}_1^0$ and $\tilde{\chi}_2^0$ denote the lightest and the next-to-lightest neutralinos with singlino and bino as their dominant components respectively. Our simulations indicate that after considering the constraints from the ATLAS searches for $jets + E{T}^{miss}$ signal the central value of the excess can be obtained for $m_{\tilde{q}} \lesssim 1.2 {\rm TeV}$, and if the constraint from the CMS on-$Z$ search is further considered, more than 10 signal events are still attainable for $m_{\tilde{q}} \lesssim 750 {\rm GeV}$. Compared with the interpretation by gluino pair production, the squark explanation allows for a significantly wider range of $m_{\tilde{q}}$ as well as a less compressed SUSY mass spectrum. We also show that the squark explanation will be readily tested at the initial stage of the 14 TeV LHC.