Track-Based Triggers for Exotic Signatures

Abstract: Several compelling beyond the Standard Model scenarios predict signals that result in unconventional charged particle trajectories. Signatures for which unusual tracks are the most conspicuous feature pose significant challenges for experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), particularly for the trigger. This article presents a study of track-based triggers for a representative set of long-lived and unconventional signatures at the upcoming High Luminosity LHC. Scenarios studied include large multiplicities of low momentum tracks produced in a soft-unclustered-energy-pattern model, displaced leptons and anomalous prompt tracks predicted in a Supersymmetry model with long-lived staus, and displaced hadrons predicted in a Higgs portal scenario with long-lived scalars. Trigger efficiency is measured as a function of the baseline parameters of a track trigger, including transverse momentum and impact parameter. Recommendations for future hardware-based track triggers are presented.