CheckMATE-ing the anomaly: LHC constraints on the 95 GeV dilaton

Abstract

Persistent kinematic anomalies near 95 GeV observed in both Large Electron–Positron collider and Large Hadron Collider data present a compelling case for a beyond-the-Standard-Model scalar resonance. The Minimal Dilaton Model offers a calculable resolution by embedding the electroweak sector within a quasi-conformal framework in which scale invariance is simultaneously broken, thereby yielding a light pseudo-Nambu–Goldstone boson. To test the empirical viability of this proposed state, we evaluate the 95 GeV anomaly within the MDM by recasting 13 TeV LHC Run 2 direct search constraints. Focusing on the inclusive top-pair-associated production channel pp → tt̅s, we simulate the signal kinematics and process them through the CheckMATE2 program. Utilising the multibin likelihood combinations, we define the formal exclusion limits across the scalar mixing angle (sin θ_S) and the vacuum expectation value ratio (η). The recasting confirms the model's viability, isolating an optimal benchmark coordinate at (sin θ_S = –0.47, η = 0.67) with a leading-order partonic cross-section of 248 fb. This establishes that the MDM accommodates the observed kinematic excesses while evading current exclusion bounds, and reinforces its potential for searches at future colliders.