Vector-like quarks with non-renormalizable interactions

Abstract

We study the impact of the leading non-renormalizable terms in the effective eld theory that describes general extensions of the Standard Model with vector-like quarks that can decay into Standard Model particles. Dropping the usual assumption of renormalizability has several phenomenological consequences for the production and decay of the heavy quarks and also for Higgs physics. The most dramatic effects, including those associated with a long lifetime, occur for vector-like quarks with non-standard quantum numbers.