Higgs-like Particle Research Articles

Higgs-like particle decays into γZ and γγ: Fingerprints of some non-supersymmetric models

Recently, ATLAS and CMS experiments at the LHC put on light the relevant results in the measurement precision of the Higgs and BSM. In such a report, where the resonance direct search was made in the γZ channel, a mass adjustment distribution for the reconstructed Z boson and photon was established. Thus, simultaneously with the signal-from-background separation, the number of events has been perfectly described, and an excess signal approximately twice that expected by the Standard Model (SM) has been noticed, which is equivalent to a significance of 2.2 standard deviations. In this study, we examine how any possible new physics models can explain this excess, such as the CP-conserving Two-Higgs doublet model (2HDMs), the Inert doublet model (IDM), and the Higgs triplet model (HTM). While considering the available theoretical and most recent experimental constraints, the phenomenological implications of existing extensions beyond the SM are discussed, and prospects for precision studies of these processes are described. We have found that the excess could be explained in the BSM frameworks studied, depending on the charged and double-charged Higgs boson masses.

Mathcal{CP} structure of the top-quark Yukawa interaction: NLO QCD corrections and off-shell effects

Since its discovery at the Large Hadron Collider in 2012 the Higgs boson has arguably become the most famous of the Standard Model particles and many measurements have been performed in order to assess its properties. Among others, these include measurements of the Higgs boson’s mathcal{CP} state which is predicted to be mathcal{CP} -even. Even though a pure mathcal{CP} -odd state has been ruled out, a possible admixture of a mathcal{CP} -odd Higgs state has yet to be excluded. In this work we present predictions for the associated production of a leptonically decaying top quark pair and a stable Higgs boson pp → e+νeμ− overline{nu} μb overline{b} H with possible mixing between mathcal{CP} -even and mathcal{CP} -odd states at NLO in QCD for the LHC with sqrt{s} = 13 TeV. Finite top-quark and gauge-boson width effects as well as all double-, single- and non-resonant Feynman diagrams including their interference effects are taken into account. We compare the behaviour of the mathcal{CP} -even, -odd and -mixed scenarios for the integrated fiducial cross-sections as well as several key differential distributions. In addition, we show that both NLO corrections and off-shell effects play an important role even at the level of integrated fiducial cross-sections and that these are further enhanced in differential distributions. Even though we focus here on the Standard Model Higgs boson, the calculations could be straightforwardly applied to models that have an extended Higgs-boson sector and predict the existence of mathcal{CP} -odd Higgs-like particles, such as the two-Higgs-doublet model.

Collider Searches for Dark Matter through the Higgs Lens

Despite the fact that dark matter constitutes one of the cornerstones of the standard cosmological paradigm, its existence has so far only been inferred from astronomical observations, and its microscopic nature remains elusive. Theoretical arguments suggest that dark matter might be connected to the symmetry-breaking mechanism of the electroweak interactions or of other symmetries extending the Standard Model of particle physics. The resulting Higgs bosons, including the 125 GeV spin-0 particle discovered recently at the Large Hadron Collider, therefore represent a unique tool to search for dark matter candidates at collider experiments. This article reviews some of the relevant theoretical models as well as the results from the searches for dark matter in signatures that involve a Higgs-like particle at the Large Hadron Collider.

A Complete Set of 22 Elementary Particles for an Expanded Standard Model (Version 2)

Our best understanding of how the known elementary particles and three of the forces (electromagnetic, weak and strong) are related to each other and explain the nature and behavior of matter is encapsulated in the Standard Model of particle physics. However, the Standard Model is incomplete as it fails to explain a number of phenomena. The Standard Model relies on a set of elementary particles which are also known to be incomplete. This paper presents a complete set of elementary particles to serve as the basis for an expanded Standard Model. The set of elementary particles contains all known elementary particles and 6 extra elementary particles which relate only to mass and gravity. They include the graviton, a Higgs-like particle (but 6.13 times heavier than the Higgs), 2 heavy dark matter particles and 2 light dark matter particles for a total of 22 elementary particles (the W and Z bosons are seen as manifestations of a single entity).

Secluded dark matter in light of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA)

Secluded dark matter is one of the most popular dark matter models, where dark matter annihilations go into particles that belong to a dark sector. An interesting way to probe such models is via indirect detection. In particular, gamma-ray observations are rather promising. Taking into account 1% level of systematics, in this work we show that the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will place the most stringent bounds on the dark matter annihilation cross section, surpassing existing probes based on H.E.S.S., Fermi-LAT, and Planck data, for dark matter masses above 400GeV, independently of the channel and choosing the Einasto profile. We consider scenarios of secluded annihilations into leptophilic, leptophobic scalars and Higgs-like particles being able to exclude an annihilation cross section of 1.7×10−25cm3s−1 for mDM=5000GeV, for ϕ→e+e− channel, for example, exceeding the current limits by one order of magnitude.

Search for Higgs-like particles produced in association with bottom quarks in proton-antiproton collisions

We report on a search for a spin-zero non-standard-model particle in proton-antiproton collisions collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab at a center-of-mass-energy of 1.96 TeV. This particle, the $\phi$ boson, is expected to decay into a bottom-antibottom quark pair and to be produced in association with at least one bottom quark. The data sample consists of events with three jets identified as initiated by bottom quarks and corresponds to $5.4~\text{fb}^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity. In each event, the invariant mass of the two most energetic jets is studied by looking for deviations from the multijet background, which is modeled using data. No evidence is found for such particle. Exclusion upper limits ranging from 20 to 2 pb are set for the product of production cross sections times branching fraction for hypothetical $\phi$ boson with mass between 100 and 300 GeV/$c^2$. These are the most stringent constraints to date.

Exploring the hyperchargeless Higgs triplet model up to the Planck scale

We examine an extension of the SM Higgs sector by a Higgs triplet taking into consideration the discovery of a Higgs-like particle at the LHC with mass around 125 GeV. We evaluate the bounds on the scalar potential through the unitarity of the scattering matrix. Considering the cases with and without mathbb {Z}_2-symmetry of the extra triplet, we derive constraints on the parameter space. We identify the region of the parameter space that corresponds to the stability and metastability of the electroweak vacuum. We also show that at large field values the scalar potential of this model is suitable to explain inflation.

Measurement of Z → bb̄ cross section and search for a Higgslike particle produced in association with b quarks at CDF

We present a measurement of the Z → bb̄ production cross section in pp collisions at √s = 1.96 TeV . We use a data set of 5.46 fb-1 collected by the CDF experiment at the Tevatron collider during Run II using a dedicated trigger path which required a displaced vertex compatible with a b-hadron decay. A data-driven procedure is applied to estimate the dijet mass spectrum of the non-resonant multijet background. Using a similar strategy we set one of the most stringent upper limits on the production of a Higgs-like particle in association with b quarks. We also set a limit on the inclusive SM H → bb̄.

Search for massive long-lived particles decaying semileptonically in the LHCb detector

A search is presented for massive long-lived particles decaying into a muon and two quarks. The dataset consists of proton-proton interactions at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 1 and 2,hbox {fb}^{-1}, respectively. The analysis is performed assuming a set of production mechanisms with simple topologies, including the production of a Higgs-like particle decaying into two long-lived particles. The mass range from 20 to 80 mathrm{{GeV}}/c^2 and lifetimes from 5 to 100{,mathrm{{ps}}} are explored. Results are also interpreted in terms of neutralino production in different R-Parity violating supersymmetric models, with masses in the 23–198 GeV/c^2 range. No excess above the background expectation is observed and upper limits are set on the production cross-section for various points in the parameter space of theoretical models.

Strongly-interacting mirror fermions at the LHC

The introduction of mirror fermions corresponding to an interchange of leftwith right-handed fermion quantum numbers of the Standard Model can lead to a model according to which the BEH mechanism is just an effective manifestation of a more fundamental theory while the recently-discovered Higgs-like particle is composite. This is achieved by a non-abelian gauge symmetry encompassing three mirror-fermion families strongly coupled at energies near 1 TeV. The corresponding non-perturbative dynamics lead to dynamical mirror-fermion masses between 0.14 - 1.2 TeV. Furthermore, one expects the formation of composite states, i.e. “mirror mesons”, with masses between 0.1 and 3 TeV. The number and properties of the resulting new degrees of freedom lead to a rich and interesting phenomenology, part of which is analyzed in the present work.

A Complete Set of 22 Elementary Particles for an Expanded Standard Model

Our best understanding of how the known elementary particles and three of the forces (electromagnetic, weak and strong) are related to each other is encapsulated in the Standard Model of particle physics. However, the Standard Model is incomplete as it fails to explain a number of phenomena. The Standard Model relies on a set of elementary particles which are also known to be incomplete. This paper presents a complete set of elementary particles to serve as the basis for an expanded Standard Model. The set of elementary particles contains all known elementary particles and 6 extra elementary particles which relate only to mass and gravity. They include the graviton, a Higgs-like particle (but 6.13 times heavier than the Higgs), 2 dark matter particles and 2 dark energy particles for a total of 22 elementary particles (the W and Z bosons are seen as manifestations of a single particle).

Electroweak Symmetry Breaking and the Higgs Boson

The first LHC run has confirmed the Standard Model as the correct theory at the electroweak scale, and the existence of a Higgs-like particle associated with the spontaneous breaking of the electroweak gauge symmetry. These lectures overview the present knowledge on the Higgs boson and discuss alternative scenarios of electroweak symmetry breaking which are already being constrained by the experimental data.

Light stops in a minimalU(1)xextension of the MSSM

In order to reproduce the measured mass of the Higgs boson mh = 125GeV in the minimal supersymmetric standard model, one usually has to rely on heavy stops, increasing the fine tuning of the electroweak scale. By introducing a new gauge sector, the Higgs mass gets a tree-level contribution via a non-decoupling D-term, and mh = 125 GeV can be obtained with lighter stops. In this paper, we study the values of the stops masses needed to achieve the correct Higgs mass in a setup where the gauge group is extended by a single U(1)x interaction. We derive the experimental limits on the mass of the Z' gauge boson in this setup, then discuss how the stops masses vary as a function of the free parameters introduced by the new sector. We find that the correct Higgs mass can be reproduced with stops in a region between 700 - 800 GeV and a Z' resonance close to the 2.5 TeV bound from the run-I of the LHC, or in a higher region 800 - 900 GeV if the Z' resonance is heavier (3.1 TeV). This region of parameter space will be quickly accessible at run-II of the LHC, and we discuss the impact of the projected run-II bounds on the U(1)x parameter space. We also discuss the phenomenology of the Higgs-like particles introduced to break U(1)x and conclude their effects are too small to be detected at current colliders.

Radiative corrections to the triple Higgs coupling in the inert Higgs doublet model

We investigate the implication of the recent discovery of a Higgs-like particle in the first phase of the LHC Run 1 on the Inert Higgs Doublet Model (IHDM). The determination of the Higgs couplings to SM particles and its intrinsic properties will get improved during the new LHC Run 2 starting this year. The new LHC Run 2 would also shade some light on the triple Higgs coupling. Such measurement is very important in order to establish the details of the electroweak symmetry breaking mechanism. Given the importance of the Higgs couplings both at the LHC and $e^+e^-$ Linear Collider machines, accurate theoretical predictions are required. We study the radiative corrections to the triple Higgs coupling $hhh$ and to $hZZ$, $hWW$ couplings in the context of the IHDM. By combining several theoretical and experimental constraints on parameter space, we show that extra particles might modify the triple Higgs coupling near threshold regions. Finally, we discuss the effect of these corrections on the double Higgs production signal at the $e^+e^-$ LC and show that they can be rather important.

Precision measurements constraints on the number of Higgs doublets

We consider an extension of the Standard Model with an arbitrary number $N$ of Higgs doublets (NHDM), and calculate their contribution to the oblique parameters $S$ and $T$. We examine the possible limitations on $N$ from precision measurements of these parameters. In view of the complexity of the general case of NHDM, we analyze several benchmark scenarios for the Higgs mass spectrum, identifying the lightest CP-even Higgs with the Higgs-like particle recently observed at the LHC with the mass of $\sim 125$ GeV. The rest of the Higgses are put above the mass scale of $\sim 600$ GeV, below which the LHC experiments do not detect any Higgs-like signals except for the former famous one. We show that, in a scenario, with all the heavy Higgses degenerate at any scale, there are no limitations on the number $N$ of the Higgs doublets. However, upper limits appear for certain not completely degenerate configurations of the heavy Higgses.

The pre-LHC Higgs hunt

Enormous efforts at accelerators and experiments all around the world have gone into the search for the long-sought Higgs boson, postulated almost five decades ago. This search has culminated in the discovery of a Higgs-like particle by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN's Large Hadron Collider in 2012. Instead of describing this widely celebrated discovery, in this article I will rather focus on earlier attempts to discover the Higgs boson, or to constrain the range of possible masses by interpreting precise data in the context of the Standard Model of particle physics. In particular, I will focus on the experimental efforts carried out during the last two decades, at the Large Electron Positron collider, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland, and the Tevatron collider, Fermilab, near Chicago, IL, USA.

H → Zγ in the complex two Higgs doublet model

The latest LHC data confirmed the existence of a Higgs-like particle and made interesting measurements on its decays into $\gamma \gamma$, $Z Z^\ast$, $W W^\ast$, $\tau^+ \tau^-$, and $b \bar{b}$. It is expected that a decay into $Z \gamma$ might be measured at the next LHC round, for which there already exists an upper bound. The Higgs-like particle could be a mixture of scalar with a relatively large component of pseudoscalar. We compute the decay of such a mixed state into $Z \gamma$, and we study its properties in the context of the complex two Higgs doublet model, analysing the effect of the current measurements on the four versions of this model. We show that a measurement of the $h \rightarrow Z \gamma$ rate at a level consistent with the SM can be used to place interesting constraints on the pseudoscalar component. We also comment on the issue of a wrong sign Yukawa coupling for the bottom in Type II models.

125 GeV Higgs signal at the LHC in theCP-violating MSSM

The ATLAS and CMS collaborations have observed independently at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) a new Higgs-like particle with a mass $M_h \sim$ 125 GeV and properties similar to that predicted by the Standard Model (SM). Although the measurements indicate that this Higgs-like boson is compatible with the SM hypothesis, however due to large uncertainties in some of the Higgs detection channels, one still has the possibility of testing this object as being a candidate for some Beyond the SM (BSM) physics scenarios, for example, the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), in the CP-conserving version (CPC-MSSM). In this paper, we evaluate the modifications of these CPC-MSSM results when CP-violating (CPV) phases are turned on explicitly, leading to the CP-violating MSSM (CPV-MSSM). We investigate the role of the CPV phases in (some of) the soft Supersymmetry (SUSY) terms on both the mass of the lightest Higgs boson $h_1$, and the rates for the processes $gg \rightarrow h_1 \rightarrow \gamma \gamma$, $gg \rightarrow h_1 \rightarrow ZZ^*\rightarrow 4l$, $gg \rightarrow h_1 \rightarrow WW^*\rightarrow l \nu l \nu$, $pp \rightarrow V h_1 \rightarrow V b\bar b$ and $pp \rightarrow V h_1 \rightarrow V \tau^+\tau^-$, ($V \equiv W^\pm, Z$) at the LHC, considering the impact of the flavor constraints as well as the constraints coming from the Electric Dipole Moment (EDM) measurements. We find that the imaginary part of the top and bottom Yukawa couplings can take very small but non-zero values even after satisfying the recent updates from LHC. Our study shows that the CPV-MSSM provides an equally potential solution (like its CP-conserving (CPC) counterpart) to the recent LHC Higgs data. Improvement in different Higgs coupling measurements is necessary in order to test the possibility of probing the small dependence on these CPV phases in the Higgs sector of the MSSM.

Philosophical perspectives on ad hoc hypotheses and the Higgs mechanism

We examine physicists' charge of ad hocness against the Higgs mechanism in the standard model of elementary particle physics. We argue that even though this charge never rested on a clear-cut and well-entrenched definition of "ad hoc", it is based on conceptual and methodological assumptions and principles that are well-founded elements of the scientific practice of high-energy particle physics. We further evaluate the implications of the recent discovery of a Higgs-like particle at the CERN's Large Hadron Collider for the charge of ad hocness against the Higgs mechanism.

One-loop γγ → W L + W L − and γγ → Z L Z L from the Electroweak Chiral Lagrangian with a light Higgs-like scalar

In this work we study the $\gamma\gamma\to W^+_L W^-_L$ and $\gamma\gamma\to Z_L Z_L$ scattering processes within the effective chiral Lagrangian approach, including a light Higgs-like scalar as a dynamical field together with the would-be-Goldstone bosons $w^\pm$ and $z$ associated to the electroweak symmetry breaking. This approach is inspired by the possibility that the Higgs-like boson be a composite particle behaving as another Goldstone boson, and assumes the existence of a mass gap between $m_h$, $m_W$, $m_Z$ and the potential new emergent resonances, setting an intermediate energy region (above $m_{h,W,Z}$ and below the resonance masses) where the use of these effective chiral Lagrangians are the most appropriate tools to compute the relevant observables. We analyse in detail the proper chiral counting rules for the present case of photon-photon scattering and provide the computation of the one-loop $\gamma\gamma\to W^+_L W^-_L$ and $\gamma\gamma\to Z_L Z_L$ scattering amplitudes within this Effective Chiral Lagrangian approach and the Equivalence Theorem, including a discussion on the involved renormalization procedure. We also propose here a joint analysis of our results for the two-photon scattering amplitudes together with other photonic processes and electroweak (EW) precision observables for a future comparison with data. This could help to disentangle the nature of the light Higgs-like particle.