Constraints on composite quark partners from Higgs searches

In composite Higgs models, the generation of quark masses requires the standard model-like quarks to be partially or fully composite states which are accompanied by composite quark partners. The composite quark partners decay into a standard model-like quark and an electroweak gauge boson or Higgs boson, which can be searched for at the LHC. In this article, we study the phenomenological implications of composite quarks in the minimal composite Higgs model based on the coset $SO(5)/SO(4)$. We focus on light quark partners which are embedded in the $SO(4)$ singlet representation. In this case, a dominant decay mode of the partner quark is into a Higgs boson and a jet, for which no experimental bounds have been established so far. The presence of $SO(4)$ singlet partners leads to an enhancement of the di-Higgs production cross section at the LHC. This will be an interesting experimental signature in the near future, but, unfortunately, there are no direct bounds available yet from the experimental analyses. However, we find that the currently available standard model-like Higgs searches can be used in order to obtain the first constraints on partially and fully composite quark models with light quark partners in the $SO(4)$ singlet. We obtain a flavor- and composition parameter independent bound on the quark partner mass of $M_{U_h} > 310 \mbox{ GeV}$ for partially composite quark models and $M_{U_h} > 212 \mbox{ GeV}$ for fully composite quark models.