On the validity of the effective field theory for dark matter searches at the LHC part III: analysis for the t -channel

We extend our recent analysis of the limitations of the effective field theory approach to studying dark matter at the LHC, by investigating the case in which Dirac dark matter couples to standard model quarks via t-channel exchange of a heavy scalar mediator. We provide analytical results for the validity of the effective field theory description, for both √s = 8 TeV and 14 TeV. We make use of a MonteCarlo event generator to assess the validity of our analytical conclusions. We also point out the general trend that in the regions where the effective field theory is valid, the dark matter relic abundance is typically large.