Vector-like quarks~(VLQs) are a common feature of many scenarios of new physics beyond the Standard Model~(SM), which generally decay into a SM third-generation quark with a SM gauge boson, or a Higgs boson. The presence of a new exotic decay mode of VLQs will reduce the branching ratios of these standard decay modes and thus relax the current mass exclusion limits from LHC experiments. Based on a model-independent framework, we investigate the prospect of discovering the pair production of the weak-singlet VLQ-$B$ at the future 3-TeV Compact Linear Collider~(CLIC), by focusing on the final states including one $Z$ boson and four $b$-jets via two types of modes: $Z\to \ell^{+}\ell^{-}$ and $Z\to \nu\bar{\nu}$. By performing a rapid detector simulation of the signal and background events, and considering the initial state radiation and beamstrahlung effects, the exclusion limit at the 95\% confidence level and the $5\sigma$ discovery prospects are respectively obtained on the branching ratio of $B\to bZ$ and the VLQ-$B$ masses at the future 3-TeV CLIC with an integrated luminosity of 5 ab$^{-1}$.
Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2112.15044