Higgs Width Research Articles

Precision Higgs width and couplings with a high energy muon collider

The interpretation of Higgs data is typically based on different assumptions about whether there can be additional decay modes of the Higgs or if any couplings can be bounded by theoretical arguments. Going beyond these assumptions requires either a precision measurement of the Higgs width or an absolute measurement of a coupling to eliminate a flat direction in precision fits that occurs when ghVV/ghVVSM\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\left|{g}_{hVV}/{g}_{hVV}^{SM}\\right| $$\\end{document} > 1, where V = W±, Z. In this paper we explore how well a high energy muon collider can test Higgs physics without having to make assumptions on the total width of the Higgs. In particular, we investigate off-shell methods for Higgs production used at the LHC and searches for invisible decays of the Higgs to see how powerful they are at a muon collider. We then investigate the theoretical requirements on a model which can exist in such a flat direction. Combining expected Higgs precision with other constraints, the most dangerous flat direction is described by generalized Georgi-Machacek models. We find that by combining direct searches with Higgs precision, a high energy muon collider can robustly test single Higgs precision down to the O.1%\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{O}\\left(.1\\%\\right) $$\\end{document} level without having to assume SM Higgs decays. Furthermore, it allows one to bound new contributions to the width at the sub-percent level as well. Finally, we comment on how even in this difficult flat direction for Higgs precision, a muon collider can robustly test or discover new physics in multiple ways. Expanding beyond simple coupling modifiers/EFTs, there is a large region of parameter space that muon colliders can explore for EWSB that is not probed with only standard Higgs precision observables.

More accurate σGG→h,Γh→GGAAΨ¯Ψ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\sigma \\left(\\mathcal{GG}\ o h\\right),\\Gamma \\left(h\ o \\mathcal{GG},\\mathcal{AA},\\overline{\\Psi}\\Psi \\right) $$\\end{document} and Higgs width results via the geoSMEFT

We develop Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) predictions of σ(GG\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{GG} $$\\end{document} → h), Γ(h → GG\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{GG} $$\\end{document}), Γ(h → AA\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{AA} $$\\end{document}) to incorporate full two loop Standard Model results at the amplitude level, in conjunction with dimension eight SMEFT corrections. We simultaneously report consistent Γ(h → Ψ¯Ψ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\overline{\\Psi}\\Psi $$\\end{document}) results including leading QCD corrections and dimension eight SMEFT corrections. This extends the predictions of the former processes Γ, σ to a full set of corrections at Ov¯T2/Λ216π22\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{O}\\left({\\overline{v}}_T^2/{\\varLambda}^2{\\left(16{\\pi}^2\\right)}^2\\right) $$\\end{document} and Ov¯T4/Λ4\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{O}\\left({\\overline{v}}_T^4/{\\Lambda}^4\\right) $$\\end{document}, where v¯T\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\overline{v}}_T $$\\end{document} is the electroweak scale vacuum expectation value and Λ is the cut off scale of the SMEFT. Throughout, cross consistency between the operator and loop expansions is maintained by the use of the geometric SMEFT formalism. For Γ(h → Ψ¯Ψ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\overline{\\Psi}\\Psi $$\\end{document}), we include results at Ov¯T2/Λ216π2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{O}\\left({\\overline{v}}_T^2/{\\Lambda}^2\\left(16{\\pi}^2\\right)\\right) $$\\end{document} in the limit where subleading mΨ → 0 corrections are neglected. We clarify how gauge invariant SMEFT renormalization counterterms combine with the Standard Model counter terms in higher order SMEFT calculations when the Background Field Method is used. We also update the prediction of the total Higgs width in the SMEFT to consistently include some of these higher order perturbative effects.

Light-quark Yukawa couplings from off-shell Higgs production

Yukawa couplings of the first quark generation are notoriously difficult to constrain due to their small values within the Standard Model. Here we propose Higgs off-shell production, with the Higgs boson decaying to four leptons, as a probe of the up- and down-quark Yukawa couplings. Using kinematic discriminants similar to the ones employed in the Higgs width measurements we find that the down (up) Yukawa coupling can be constrained to a factor of 156 (260) times its Standard Model value at the high-luminosity LHC assuming only experimental systematic uncertainties. Off-shell Higgs production hence provides better sensitivity to the first-generation quark Yukawa couplings with respect to other probes such as Higgs+jet or Higgs pair production.

Following the Higgs mode across the BCS-BEC crossover in two dimensions

Although substantial effort has been dedicated to analyzing the Higgs (amplitude) mode in superconducting systems, there are relatively few studies of the Higgs peak's dispersion and width, quantities which are observable in spectroscopic measurements. These properties can be obtained from the location of the pole of the amplitude (Higgs) susceptibility in the lower half plane of complex frequency. We analyze the behavior of the Higgs mode in a two-dimensional neutral fermionic superfluid at $T=0$ throughout the crossover from Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) to Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) behavior. This occurs when the dressed chemical potential $\ensuremath{\mu}$ changes sign from positive to negative. For $\ensuremath{\mu}>0$, we find a pole in the Higgs susceptibility in the lower half plane of frequency and demonstrate that it leads to a well-defined peak in spectroscopic probes. For $\ensuremath{\mu}<0$, the pole still exists but is ``hidden,'' not giving rise to a peak in spectroscopic probes. Extending this analysis to a charged superconductor, we find that the Higgs mode is unaffected by the long-range Coulomb interaction.

Signal-background interference effects in Higgs-mediated diphoton production beyond NLO

In this paper we consider signal-background interference effects in Higgs-mediated diphoton production at the LHC. After reviewing earlier works that show how to use these effects to constrain the Higgs boson total decay width, we provide predictions beyond NLO accuracy for the interference and related observables, and study the impact of QCD radiative corrections on the Higgs width determination. In particular, we use the so-called soft-virtual approximation to estimate interference effects at NNLO in QCD. The inclusion of these effects reduces the NNLO prediction for the total Higgs cross-section in the diphoton channel by about 1.7%. We study in detail the impact of QCD corrections on the Higgs-boson line-shape and its implications for the Higgs boson width extraction. In particular, we find that the shift of the Higgs resonance peak arising from interference effects gets reduced by about 30% with respect to the NLO prediction. Assuming an experimental resolution of about 150 textrm{MeV} on interference-induced modifications of the Higgs-boson line-shape, our NNLO analysis shows that one could constrain the Higgs-boson total width to about 10–20 times its Standard Model value.

What can we learn from the total width of the Higgs boson?* *Supported in part by the National Science Foundation of China (11725520, 11675002, 11635001, 12022514, 11875003, 12047503). JHY is also supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2020YFC2201501)

As one of the key properties of the Higgs boson, the Higgs total width is sensitive to the global profile of the Higgs boson couplings, and thus new physics would modify the Higgs width. We investigate the total width in various new physics models, including various scalar extensions, composite Higgs models, and the fraternal twin Higgs model. Typically, the Higgs width is smaller than the standard model value due to mixture with other scalars if the Higgs is elementary, or curved Higgs field space for the composite Higgs. On the other hand, except for the possible invisible decay mode, the enhanced Yukawa coupling in the two Higgs doublet model or the exotic fermion embeddings in the composite Higgs could enhance the Higgs width greatly. The precision measurement of the Higgs total width at the high-luminosity LHC can be used to discriminate certain new physics models.

Determining Higgs boson width at electron-positron colliders

Probing Higgs width Γh is critical to test the Higgs properties. In this work we propose to measure Γh at the e+e− collider with a model-independent analysis under the Standard Model Effective Field Theory framework. We demonstrate that making use of the cross section measurements from e+e−→Zh, e+e−→νeν¯eh production and Higgs decay branching ratios h→WW⁎/ZZ⁎, one could determine Γh at a percentage level with a center of mass energy s=250 and 350 GeV and integrated luminosity 5ab−1. This conclusion would not depend on the assumption of the fermion Yukawa interactions. We further apply this result to constrain the fermion Yukawa couplings and it shows that the couplings could be well constrained.

Impact of fermionic operators on the Higgs boson width measurement

The off-shell Higgs production in pp -> ZZ at LHC provides at present the most direct measurement of the Higgs width in the absence of beyond the standard model contributions. Here, we analyze the impact of anomalous Z couplings to fermions on the Higgs width determination. We show that, despite these couplings being strongly constrained by the available electroweak precision data, they can substantially affect the Higgs width determination at the LHC Runs 2 and 3. Conversely, in larger integrated luminosities runs, such as those foreseen at the high luminosity LHC and high energy LHC setups, the effect of such anomalous interactions in the Higgs width measurement is minimal.

C P violation from \u03c4 , t and b dimension-6 Yukawa couplings \u2014 interplay of baryogenesis, EDM and Higgs physics

We explore the implications of the Standard Model effective field theory (SMEFT) with dimension-six terms involving the Higgs boson and third-generation fermion fields on the rate of Higgs boson production and decay into fermions, on the electric dipole moments (EDMs) of the electron, and on the baryon asymmetry of the Universe. We study the consequences of allowing these additional terms for each flavor separately and for combinations of two flavors. We find that a complex τ Yukawa coupling can account for the observed baryon asymmetry {Y}_B^{mathrm{obs}} within current LHC and EDM bounds. A complex b (t) Yukawa coupling can account for 4% (2%) of {Y}_B^{mathrm{obs}} , whereas a combination of the two can reach 12%. Combining τ with either t or b enlarges the viable parameter space owing to cancellations in the EDM and in either Higgs production times decay or the total Higgs width, respectively. Interestingly, in such a scenario there exists a region in parameter space where the SMEFT contributions to the electron EDM cancel and collider signal strengths are precisely SM-like, while producing sufficient baryon asymmetry. Measuring C P violation in Higgs decays to τ leptons is the smoking gun for this scenario.

Exclusive displaced hadronic signatures in the LHC forward region

The LHCb detector provides accurate vertex reconstruction and hadronic particle identification, which make the experiment an ideal place to look for light long-lived particles (LLP) decaying into Standard Model (SM) hadrons. In contrast with the typical search strategy relying on energetic jets and a high multiplicity of tracks from the LLP decay, LHCb can identify LLPs in exclusive, specific hadronic final states. To illustrate the idea, we study the sensitivity of LHCb to an exotic Higgs decay h → SS, followed by the displaced decay of GeV-scale scalars into charged kaons S → K+K−. We show that the reconstruction of kaon vertices in narrow invariant mass windows can efficiently eliminate the combinatorial backgrounds from B-meson decays. While the same signal is extremely difficult to probe in the existing displaced jet searches at ATLAS/CMS, the LHCb search we propose can probe the branching ratio BR(h → SS) down to 0.1% (0.02%) level with 15 (300) fb−1 of data. We also apply this projected bound to two scenarios with Higgs portal couplings, where the scalar mediator S either couples to a) the SM quarks only, or b) to both quarks and leptons in the minimal flavor violation paradigm. In both scenarios we compare the reach of our proposed search with the expected constraints from ATLAS and CMS on the invisible Higgs width and with the constraints from rare B-decays studies at LHCb. We find that for 1 GeV < mS< 2 GeV and 0.5 mm ≲ cτ ≲ 10 mm our proposed search will be competitive with the ATLAS and CMS projections, while at the same time providing crucial information of the hadronic interactions of S, which can not be obtained from the indirect measurement of the Higgs invisible width.

The Higgs width in the SMEFT

We calculate the total and partial inclusive Higgs widths at leading order in the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT). We report results incorporating SMEFT corrections for two and four body Higgs decays through vector currents in this limit. The narrow width approximation is avoided and all phase space integrals are directly evaluated. We explain why the narrow width approximation fails more significantly in the SMEFT compared to the SM, despite the narrowness of the observed SU(2) × U(1) bosons in both theories. Our results are presented in a manner that allows various input parameter schemes to be used, and they allow the inclusive branching ratios and decay widths of the Higgs to be numerically determined without a Monte Carlo generation of phase space for each Wilson coefficient value chosen.

Higgs characterisation in the presence of theoretical uncertainties and invisible decays

While the Higgs characterisation programme is well under way, direct signs for new physics beyond the Standard Model remain elusive. Performing a fit of fully differential Higgs production cross sections at the LHC to a subset of Higgs-relevant effective operators, we discuss the extent to which theoretical uncertainties can limit the sensitivity in such a new physics search programme. Extending the dimension-6 Higgs Effective Field Theory framework by introducing new light degrees of freedom that can contribute to an invisible (or undetectable) Higgs decay width hrightarrow phi phi , we show how differential coupling fits can disentangle effects from non-Standard Model couplings and an invisible decay width, as present in many new physics scenarios, such as Higgs-portal dark matter. Including the so-called off-shell measurement that has been advocated as a sensitive determination of the Higgs width in the kappa framework, we show explicitly that this method does not provide complementary sensitivity for scale-separated new physics Lambda gg m_h gg m_phi , which is favoured in beyond the Standard Model scenarios that relate astrophysics and collider phenomenology in the light of non-observation of new physics during run 1 of the LHC.

Interference in the gg→h→γγ On-Shell Rate and the Higgs Boson Total Width.

We consider interference between the Higgs signal and QCD background in gg→h→γγ and its effect on the on-shell Higgs rate. The existence of sizable strong phases leads to destructive interference of about 2% of the on-shell cross section in the standard model. This effect can be enhanced by beyond the standard model physics. In particular, since it scales differently from the usual rates, the presence of interference allows indirect limits to be placed on the Higgs width in a novel way, using on-shell rate measurements. Our study motivates further QCD calculations to reduce uncertainties. We discuss possible width-sensitive observables, both using total and differential rates and find that the HL-LHC can potentially indirectly constrain widths of order tens of MeV.

Invisible decay of the Higgs boson in the context of a thermal and nonthermal relic in MSSM

We study the decay of 125 GeV Higgs boson to light LSP neutralino in the phenomenological minimal supersymmetric standard model in the context of collider searches and astrophysical experiments. We consider the parameter space for light neutralinos that can be probed via the invisible Higgs decays and higgsino searches at the ILC. We consider the cases where the light neutralino is compatible with the observed relic density or where the thermal relic is over-abundant, pointing to non-standard cosmology. In the former case, when the neutralino properties give rise to under-abundant relic density, the correct amount of relic abundance is assumed to be guaranteed by either additional DM particles or by non-thermal cosmology. We contrast these different cases. We assess what astrophysical measurements can be made, in addition to the measurements made at the ILC, which can provide a clue to the nature of the light neutralino. We find that a number of experiments, including Xenon-nT, PICO-250, LZ in conjunction with measurements made at the ILC on invisible Higgs width can pin down the nature of this neutralino, along with its cosmological implications. Additionally, we also point out potential LHC signatures that could be complementary in this region of parameter space.

Weak boson fusion at 100 TeV

From the LHC runs we know that, with increasing collider energy, weak-boson-fusion Higgs production dominates as an environment for precision measurements. We show how a future hadron collider performs for three challenging benchmark signatures. Because all of these measurements rely on the tagging jet signature, we first give a comprehensive analysis of weak-boson-fusion kinematics and a proposed two-step jet veto at a 100 TeV hadron collider. We then find this machine to be sensitive to invisible Higgs branching ratios of 0.5%, a second-generation muon Yukawa coupling of 2%, and an enhanced total Higgs width of around 5%, the latter with essentially no model dependence. This kind of performance crucially relies on a sufficient detector coverage and a dedicated weak-boson-fusion trigger channel.

Light Quark Yukawa Couplings and the W±h Charge Asymmetry

I review the recent theory progress on possibly measuring the light quark couplings, emphasizing the distinction between direct and indirect measurements. I highlight the importance of the W±h charge asymmetry measurement as a direct probe of enhanced light quark Yukawa couplings. I propose the W±h→ℓ±ℓ±qq′νν final state as a promising channel for measuring the charge asymmetry. This clean, same-sign dilepton final state should reach statistical discovery sensitivity in each W±h charge mode with 300 fb-1 of Large Hadron Collider luminosity, and affords an impressive sub-percent statistical accuracy with the anticipated 3 ab-1 high luminosity upgrade. After accounting for current direct constraints on the total Higgs width, the W±h charge asymmetry could deviate from the Standard Model expectation by tens of percent. The measurement of a non-Standard Model asymmetry would hence provide strong indications of enhanced light quark Yukawa couplings.

Phenomenology of enhanced light quark Yukawa couplings and the W\xb1h charge asymmetry

I propose the measurement of the W±h charge asymmetry as a consistency test for the Standard Model (SM) Higgs, which is sensitive to enhanced Yukawa couplings of the first and second generation quarks. I present a collider analysis for the charge asymmetry in the same-sign lepton final state, pp → W±h → (ℓ±ν) (ℓ±νjj), aimed at discovery significance for the SM W±h production mode in each charge channel with 300 fb−1 of 14 TeV LHC data. Using this decay mode, I estimate the statistical precision on the charge asymmetry should reach 0.4% with 3 ab−1 luminosity, enabling a strong consistency test of the SM Higgs hypothesis. I also discuss direct and indirect constraints on light quark Yukawa couplings from direct and indirect probes of the Higgs width as well as Tevatron and Large Hadron Collider Higgs data. While the main effect from enhanced light quark Yukawa couplings is a rapid increase in the total Higgs width, such effects could be mitigated in a global fit to Higgs couplings, leaving the W±h charge asymmetry as a novel signature to test directly the Higgs couplings to light quarks.

Next-to-minimalR-symmetric model: Dirac gaugino, Higgs mass and invisible width

We study a singlet extension of the minimal $U(1)_R$ symmetric model, which shares nice properties of Dirac gauginos and $R$-symmetric Higgs sector. At the same time, a superpotential coupling of $R$-charged singlet to the Higgs doublets can give a substantial contribution to the Higgs boson mass. We show that the 125 GeV Higgs boson is consistent with perturbative unification, even if the SUSY scale is as low as 1 TeV and if the $D$-term Higgs potential is suppressed as is often the case in Dirac gauginos. The model also contains a light scalar and fermion, pseudo-moduli and pseudo-Goldstino: The former gets a mass mainly from SUSY breaking soft terms, in addition to a small explicit $R$-symmetry breaking for the latter. We examine how the Higgs mass and width are affected by these light degrees of freedom. Specifically we find thatdepending on parameters of $R$-charged Higgses, the pseudo-moduli lighter than a half of the SM-Higgs boson mass is still allowed by the constraints from invisible decays of the $Z$ and Higgs bosons. We also find that such a light scalar can reduce the Higgs boson mass, at most by a few percents.

Lineshape of the Higgs boson in future lepton colliders

The effect of the photon emission (bremsstrahlung) in the cross section of the process of direct production of the Higgs boson in the future high luminosity electron and muon colliders is calculated. It was found that cross section at the top of the Higgs boson resonance peak is reduced by factor 0.347 for the electron collider and 0.548 for the muon collider. Machine spread of the centre of the mass energy of 4.2MeV (equal to the Higgs width) would reduce peak cross section further, by factor 0.170 and 0.256 (QED and energy spread) for electron and muon beams respectively. Possible uncertainties in the resummed QED calculations are discussed. Numerical results for the lineshape cross section including QED and many values of the machine energy spread are provided.

Interference effects in Higgs production through Vector Boson Fusion in the Standard Model and its singlet extension

Interference effects play an important role in Electroweak Physics. They are responsible for the restoration of unitarity al large energies. When, as is often the case, higher order corrections are only available for some particular subamplitude, interferences need to be carefully computed in order to obtain the best theoretical prediction. In the new proposal to estimate the total Higgs width from the off shell cross section, the interference between the Higgs signal and the background is essential. It has been recently pointed out in gluon fusion that whenever more than one neutral, CP even, scalars are present in the spectrum large cancellations can occur. We extend these studies to Vector Boson Scattering, examining interference effects in the Higgs sector in the Standard Model and its one Higgs Singlet extension.