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Anisha

Publications and source records attributed to Anisha.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

Exploring Extended Higgs Dynamics via Higgsstrahlung at FCC-ee

The Future Circular Electron-Positron Collider (FCC-ee) will probe aspects of the Higgs boson and the electroweak scale with unprecedented precision via associated Higgs production with a $Z$ boson. We focus on the Two-Higgs-Doublet Model (2HDM) to frame the FCC-ee's precision constraints within a small, concrete parameter space at next-to-leading order. We demonstrate that the projected precision of the FCC-ee's 240 GeV run will enable a precise analysis of Beyond-the-Standard-Model (BSM)-relevant Higgs-sector interactions near the alignment limit. As the key aspects of the 2HDM that drive deviations of the cross section from its Standard Model expectation (presence of new scalar states, Higgs mixing, and non-trivial inter-Higgs couplings) are also typically present in extensions more complex than the 2HDM, this demonstrates the FCC-ee's indirect potential for unveiling BSM physics around the electroweak scale.

hep-ph

Phenomenology of a Kinetic Higgs Portal

We explore the phenomenological consequences of non-minimal hidden sector interactions on observable correlations in the Higgs sector, mediated through the $\mathbb{Z}_2$-symmetric Higgs portal. Particular attention is given to non-standard momentum dependencies of the hidden sector scalar, which arise naturally in an effective field theory (EFT) framework, e.g. in Composite Scalar Dark Matter theories. We discuss the implications of such hidden sector interactions for the thermal history of the universe. We show that aspects of such non-standard momentum dependencies can be probed at future lepton colliders such as a FCC-ee, potentially also through radiative corrections. This gives rise to precision probes for regions where direct detection constraints and relic abundance can be accounted for as predicted in, e.g., Composite Scalar Dark Matter theories.

hep-ph

Z and Higgs Factory Implications of Two Higgs Doublets with First-Order Phase Transitions

We investigate the potential of future electron-positron colliders, such as FCC-ee and CEPC, to probe 2-Higgs-doublet models (2HDMs) that facilitate a strong first-order electroweak phase transition (SFOEWPT), a necessary condition for electroweak baryogenesis. Focusing on a 2HDM in the CP-conserving limit, we identify parameter regions consistent with an SFOEWPT and evaluate their compatibility with projected precision electroweak and Higgs measurements, as well as searches for exotic Higgs bosons. We show that radiative corrections to $e^+e^-\to hZ$ production introduce deviations in the cross section that are resolvable with the anticipated sub-percent precision at lepton colliders even when experimental outcomes of the LHC and $Z$ pole measurements are in agreement with the SM. This underscores the opportunities of a precision lepton collider to explore BSM quantum corrections to the Higgs sector more broadly.

hep-ph

HEFT's appraisal of triple (versus double) Higgs weak boson fusion

Multi-Higgs boson interactions with massive gauge bosons are known to be tell-tale probes of the vacuum manifold of electroweak symmetry breaking. Phenomenologically, a precise determination of these parameters is hampered through increasingly rare processes at the presently available energy frontier provided by the Large Hadron Collider. Contact interactions of three Higgs bosons with the $W$ and $Z$ bosons seem currently well out of experimental reach due to an irrelevant SM production cross section. From a theoretical perspective, in perturbative extensions of the SM such interactions are suppressed by weak loops and further diluted in a priori sensitive processes like weak boson fusion (WBF) when they admit a dimension-six Standard Model Effective Field Theory description. In this work, we identify scenarios that can indeed lead to large, and perhaps even observable modifications of WBF triple Higgs production most directly parametrised by Higgs Effective Field Theory. We critically analyse these enhancements at the LHC and future colliders from the perspective of unitarity and demonstrate the radiative stability of such analyses under QCD corrections at hadron colliders. Taking into account the restrictions from unitarity, we finally study the expected sensitivity to the electroweak triple Higgs production within HEFT, considering $HHVV$ and $HHHVV$ effective couplings, at both future hadron and lepton colliders. Particularly, we present numerical predictions for LHC, FCC, CLIC and muon colliders.

hep-ph

Bosonic multi-Higgs correlations beyond leading order

The production of multiple Higgs bosons at the LHC and beyond is a strong test of the mechanism of electroweak symmetry breaking. Taking inspiration from recent experimental efforts to move towards limits on triple Higgs production at the Large Hadron Collider, we consider generic bosonic deviations of $HH$ and $HHH$ production from the Standard Model in the guise of Higgs Effective Field Theory. Including one-loop radiative corrections within the HEFT and going up to ${\mathcal{O}}(p^4)$ in the momentum expansion, we provide a detailed motivation of the parameter range that the LHC (and future hadron colliders) can explore, through accessing non-standard coupling modifications and momentum dependencies that probe Higgs boson non-linearities. In particular, we find that radiative corrections can enhance the sensitivity to Higgs-self coupling modifiers and HEFT-specific momentum dependencies can vastly increase triple Higgs production thus providing further motivation to consider these processes during the LHC's high-luminosity phase.

hep-ph

Higgs boson off-shell measurements probe non-linearities

The measurements of off-shell Higgs boson contributions in massive gauge boson pair production are known to probe its electroweak interactions across different energy scales. Often employed as an estimator of the Higgs boson width in restricted theories of beyond the Standard Model physics, we revisit this measurement and re-advertise its potential to constrain aspects of Higgs boson non-linearity. We show that this so-called off-shell measurement complements related analyses of multi-Higgs final states.

hep-ph

Effective 2HDM Yukawa Interactions and a Strong First-Order Electroweak Phase Transition

The top quark as the heaviest particle in the Standard Model (SM) defines an important mass scale for Higgs physics and the electroweak scale itself. It is therefore a well-motivated degree of freedom which could reveal the presence of new interactions beyond the SM. Correlating modifications of the top-Higgs interactions in the 2-Higgs-Doublet Model (2HDM), we analyse effective field theory deformations of these interactions from the point of view of a strong first-order electroweak phase transition (SFOEWPT). We show that such modifications are compatible with current Higgs data and that an SFOEWPT can be tantamount to a current overestimate of exotic Higgs searches' sensitivity at the LHC in $t\bar t$ and four top quark final states. We argue that these searches remain robust from the point of accidental signal-background interference so that the current experimental strategy might well lead to 2HDM-like discoveries in the near future.

hep-ph

Higgs Footprints of Hefty ALPs

We discuss axion-like particles (ALPs) within the framework of Higgs Effective Field Theory, targeting instances of close alignment of ALP physics with a custodial singlet character of the Higgs boson. We tension constraints arising from new contributions to Higgs boson decays against limits from high-momentum transfer processes that become under increasing control at the LHC. Going beyond leading-order approximations, we highlight the importance of multi-top and multi-Higgs production for the pursuit of searches for physics beyond the Standard Model extensions.

hep-ph

On the BSM reach of four top production at the LHC

Many scenarios of beyond the Standard Model (BSM) physics give rise to new top-philic interactions that can be probed at proton machines such as the Large Hadron Collider through a variety of production and decay modes. On the one hand, this will enable a detailed determination of the BSM model's parameters when a discovery is made and additional sensitivity in non-dominant production modes can be achieved. On the other hand, the naive narrow width approximation in dominant production modes such as gluon fusion might be inadequate for some BSM parameter regions due to interference effects, effectively making less dominant production modes more relevant in such instances. In this work, we consider both these questions in the context of four top quark final states at the LHC. Firstly, we show that the SM potential can be enhanced through the application of targeted Graph Neural Network techniques that exploit data correlations beyond cut-and-count approaches. Secondly, we show that destructive interference effects that can degrade BSM sensitivity of top-philic states from gluon fusion are largely avoided by turning to four top final states. This achieves considerable exclusion potential for, e.g., the two Higgs doublet model. This further motivates four top final states as sensitive tools for BSM discovery in the near future of the LHC.

hep-ph

Quartic Gauge-Higgs couplings: Constraints and Future Directions

Constraints on quartic interactions of the Higgs boson with gauge bosons have been obtained by the experimental LHC collaborations focussing on the so-called $\kappa$ framework of flat rescalings of SM-like interactions in weak boson fusion (WBF) Higgs pair production. While such approaches are admissible to obtain a qualitative picture of consistency with the SM when the statistical yield is low, once more statistics become available a more theoretically consistent framework of limit setting is desirable. Reviewing the constraints provided at the Large Hadron Collider, we first show that these limits are robust when considered in a leading order context. Turning to radiative corrections, we demonstrate the limitations of this approach in the SM, and by adopting Higgs effective field theory techniques, we clarify the sensitivity from single Higgs measurements to rescalings of quartic Higgs-gauge couplings. We then discuss avenues for sensitivity improvements of WBF analyses employing Graph Neural Networks to combat the large contributing backgrounds.

hep-ph

Two Higgs doublets, Effective Interactions and a Strong First-Order Electroweak Phase Transition

It is well-known that type II two Higgs doublet models (2HDMs) can struggle to facilitate a strong first-order electroweak phase transition in the early universe whilst remaining theoretically appealing scenarios for many reasons. We analyse this apparent shortfall from the perspective of additional new physics. Starting from a consistent dimension-6 effective field theory Higgs potential extension, we identify the Higgs potential extensions that provide the necessary additional contributions required to achieve a strong first-order electroweak phase transition and trace their phenomenological implications for the Large Hadron Collider. In passing, we critically assess the reliability of the dimension-6 approximation depending on the expected 2HDM phenomenology. In particular, we focus on the role of Higgs pair production (resonant and non-resonant) and interference effects expected in top final states, which are the prime candidates of 2HDM exotics discoveries.

hep-ph

Effective limits on single scalar extensions in the light of recent LHC data

In this paper, we work with 16 different single scalar particle extensions of the Standard Model. We present the sets of dimension-6 effective operators and the associated Wilson coefficients as functions of model parameters after integrating out the heavy scalars up to 1-loop, including the heavy-light mixing, for each such scenario. Using the correspondence between the effective operators and the observables at electroweak scale, and employing Bayesian statistics, we compute the allowed ranges of new physics parameters that are further translated and depicted in 2-dimensional Wilson coefficient space in the light of the latest CMS and ATLAS data up to $137 \text{ fb}^{-1}$ and $139\text{ fb}^{-1}$, respectively. We also adjudge the status of those new physics extensions that offer similar sets of relevant effective operators. In addition, we provide a model-independent fit of $23$ Standard Model effective field theory Wilson coefficients using electroweak precision observables, single and di-Higgs data as well as kinematic distributions of di-boson production.

hep-ph

Effective connections of $a_\mu$, Higgs physics, and the collider frontier

We consider scalar extensions of the SM and their effective field theoretic generalisations to illustrate the phenomenological connection between precision measurements of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon $a_\mu$, precision Higgs measurements, and direct collider sensitivity. To this end, we consider charged BSM scalar sectors of the Zee-Babu type for which we develop a consistent, and complete dimensions-5 and -6 effective field theory extension. This enables us to track generic new physics effects that interact with the SM predominantly via radiative interactions. While the operator space is high dimensional, the intersection of exotics searches at the Large Hadron Collider, Higgs signal strength and anomalous muon magnetic measurements is manageably small. We find that consistency of LHC Higgs observations and $a_\mu$ requires a significant deformation of the new states' electroweak properties. Evidence in searches for doubly charged scalars as currently pursued by the LHC experiments can be used to further tension the BSMEFT parameter space and resolve blind directions in the EFT-extended Zee-Babu scenario.

hep-ph

Extended Higgs sectors, effective field theory and Higgs phenomenology

We consider the phenomenological implications of charged scalar extensions of the SM Higgs sector in addition to EFT couplings of this new state to SM matter. We perform a detailed investigation of modifications of loop-induced decays of the 125 GeV Higgs boson, which receives corrections from the propagating charged scalars alongside one-loop EFT operator insertions and demonstrate that the interplay of $H\to \gamma\gamma$ and $H\to Z\gamma$ decays can be used to clarify the additional states phenomenology in case a discovery is made in the future. In parallel, EFT interactions of the charged Higgs can lead to a decreased sensitivity to the virtual presence of charged Higgs states, which can significantly weaken the constraints that are naively expected from the precisely measured $H\to \gamma\gamma$ branching ratio. Again $H\to Z\gamma$ measurements provide complementary sensitivity that can be exploited in the future.

hep-ph

A Step Toward Model Comparison: Connecting Electroweak-Scale Observables to BSM through EFT and Bayesian Statistics

Recognizing the potential of effective field theories to posit multiple BSM scenarios in similar footing, with a possibility to compare them, we inspect the effects of 11 single scalar-multiplet extensions of the SM on the combined set of electroweak precision observables and Higgs signal strength data, by systematically integrating out the heavy multiplets and computing the resulting SMEFT operators and Wilson coefficients (WCs) up to one-loop level. Noting that multiple BSM models give rise to a degenerate set of WCs, we then perform Bayesian statistical inference both directly on the BSM parameters and on the associated set of independent WCs. Using the posteriors of the BSM parameters, we infer the respective (correlated) WC-distributions and compare both the model-independent and dependent analyses by overlaying the 2-D marginal WC-posteriors from both processes, thus laying the ground for a data-driven attempt to compare diverse BSM theories of different origins, and hopefully, a possible way to approach the intractable inverse problem. We also demonstrate, with an example model, the crucial role of theoretical constraints to rule out large chunks of BSM parameter spaces. The entirety of numerical results is available in GitHub.

hep-ph

Hilbert Series and Plethystics: Paving the path towards 2HDM- and MLRSM-EFT

Effective Field Theory technique is one of the most elegant ways to capture the impact of high scale theory, if any, at some low energy by incorporating higher mass dimensional ($\geq 5$) effective operators ($\mathcal{O}_i$). The low energy EFT is described in terms of only light degrees of freedom which can appear on-shell. An essential task while developing the EFT framework is to compute these $\mathcal{O}_i$'s. Hilbert Series is a novel and mathematically robust method to construct the complete set of gauge invariant independent, effective operators. The HS requires the knowledge of the transformation properties of the light DOF and the covariant derivatives under the internal gauge symmetries and conformal groups. The Hilbert Series method, by its virtue, automatically takes care of the redundancies in the operator set due to the Equations of Motion of fields and Integration by Parts with impeccable accuracy. In this paper, we have adopted this methodology to construct the complete set of independent operators up to dimension-6 in the ``Warsaw"-like basis for two different Beyond Standard Model scenarios -- 2HDM and MLRSM. For both these cases, we have calculated the corrections to the scalar, gauge boson and fermion mass spectra due to the dimension-6 operators. The additional contributions to all the Feynman vertices are computed and their impact on different observables, namely Weak mixing angle, Fermi constant, $\rho$ and oblique parameters. We have further discussed how the magnetic moments of charged leptons and production and decay of the massive BSM particles, e.g., charged scalar and different rare processes are affected in the presence of effective operators. We have also constructed the effective scalar four-point interactions and commented on the possible reinvestigation of the theoretical constraints, e.g., unitarity and vacuum stability within these frameworks.

hep-ph