Single Leptoquark Production at $e^+e^-$ and $γγ$ Colliders

Abstract

We consider single production of leptoquarks (LQ's) at $e^+e^-$ and $γγ$ colliders, for two values of the centre-of-mass energy, $\sqrt{s}=500$ GeV and 1 TeV. We find that LQ's which couple within the first generation are observable for LQ masses almost up to the kinematic limit, both at $e^+e^-$ and $γγ$ colliders, for the LQ coupling strength equal to $α_{em}$. The cross sections for single production of $2^{nd}$- and $3^{rd}$-generation LQ's at $e^+e^-$ colliders are too small to be observable. In $γγ$ collisions, on the other hand, $2^{nd}$-generation LQ's with masses much larger than $\sqrt{s}/2$ can be detected. However, $3^{rd}$-generation LQ's can be seen at $γγ$ colliders only for masses at most $\sim\sqrt{s}/2$, making their observation more probable via the pair production mechanism.