Exploration of the Higgs sector after its discovery

Abstract

The discovery of the Higgs boson culminates a 40-year long hunt and completes a theoretical framework under which almost all collider data can be consistently explained. At the same time, paradoxically, the confirmation of an apparent mass gap above the electroweak scale exacerbates the problem of the electroweak hierarchy. In the search of a description of the world that simplifies the patterns and symmetries of the Standard Model, the exploration of the TeV scale and in particular the study of the Higgs boson will play a central role. In this thesis we explore the possibilities that the LHC and future colliders will bring, with particular emphasis on the determination of the Higgs self-coupling. We also consider the pair production of electroweak bosons as a probe of the Goldstone interactions in the Higgs doublet, and show its relevance as a way to improve the Z pole measurements and its interplay with other LHC searches. Finally, we focus on how the electron's electric dipole moment can set strong constraints on models where the Higgs arises as a composite state.