Effective action for the standard model with large Higgs mass

The covariant derivative expansion of the one-loop effective action is briefly reviewed, and applied to the problem of calculating the heavy Higgs effects in the standard Glashow-Weinberg-Salam model. All terms which grow with the Higgs mass M_H at one loop are found. The result of this calculation is used to find the dependence of the gauge boson mass ratio ϱ on M_H, and also to estimate the size of corrections to W and Z scattering theorems.     

First-order electroweak phase transition powered by additional F-term loop effects in an extended supersymmetric Higgs sector

We investigate the one-loop effect of new charged scalar bosons on the Higgs potential at finite temperatures in the supersymmetric standard model with four Higgs doublet chiral superfields as well as a pair of charged singlet chiral superfields. In this model, the mass of the lightest Higgs boson h is determined only by the D-term in the Higgs potential at the tree-level, while the triple Higgs boson coupling for hhh can receive a significant radiative correction due to nondecoupling one-loop contributions of the additional charged scalar bosons. We find that the same nondecoupling mechanism can also contribute to realize stronger first order electroweak phase transition than that in the minimal supersymmetric standard model, which is definitely required for a successful scenario of electroweak baryogenesis. Therefore, this model can be a new candidate for a model in which the baryon asymmetry of the Universe is explained at the electroweak scale.     

Associate Higgs and gauge boson production at hadron colliders in a model with vector resonances

Motivated by new models of dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking that predict a light composite Higgs boson, we build an effective Lagrangian which describes the standard model (with a light Higgs) and vector resonances. We compute the cross section for the associate production of a Higgs and a gauge boson. For some values of model parameters we find that the cross section is significantly enhanced with respect to the standard model. This enhancement is similar at the LHC (large hadron collider) and the Tevatron for the same range of resonance mass. PACS 12.60.Nz     

Induced fermionic interactions in theories with general nonlinearly realized SSB

We consider a model with nonlinear SSB, which can be considered as a limiting case of the electroweak SM whenM _H→∞. It possesses a chain of hidden local gauge symmetries yielding a series of heavy gauge boson triplets, which can be interpreted as effects of the strong self-interactions of the scalar sector and are able to infect via mixing low energy quantities. The theory is non-renormalizable and, therefore, new Lagrangian terms are induced at each loop order. We investigate these quantum-induced interactions (which are of non-standard type) of fermions and vector bosons, and show that they can be expressed in additional Lagrangian terms which obey the symmetry of the original theory.     

Modified Yang-Mills Theory and Electroweak Interactions

Since the Higgs boson of the standard electroweak model has not been detecteddespite many experimental attempts, nonstandard electroweak models notincluding the Higgs boson may be worthy of consideration; one of them isproposed here. This new model of electroweak interactions is based on theYang-Mills theory completed by a nontrivial condition at infinity for theYang-Mills potentials corresponding to the zero-field intensities. It is shown thatwithin the framework of this model the three vector potentials of the Yang-Millstheory allow one to describe both the Maxwell electromagnetic interactions andthe Fermi weak interactions and to obtain the known value of the Z ⁰ boson mass.     

Effective potential methods and the Higgs mass spectrum in the MSSM

We generalize the analytical expressions for the two-loop leading-log neutral Higgs boson masses and mixing angles to the case of general left- and right-handed soft supersymmetry breaking stop and sbottom masses and left-right mixing mass parameters (m_Q, m_U, m_D, A_t, A_b). This generalization is essential for the computation of Higgs masses and couplings in the presence of light stops. At high scales we use the minimal supersymmetric standard model effective potential, while at low scales we consider the two-Higgs doublet model (renormalization group improved) effective potential, with general matching conditions at the thresholds where the squarks decouple. We define physical (pole) masses for the top quark, by including QCD self-energies, and for the neutral Higgs bosons, by including the leading one-loop electroweak self-energies where the top/stop and bottom/sbottom sectors propagate. For m_Q = m_U = m_D and moderate left-right mixing mass parameters, for which the mass expansion in terms of renormalizable Higgs quartic couplings is reliable, we find excellent agreement with previously obtained results.     

Leading Electroweak Corrections to the Neutral Higgs Boson Production at the Fermilab Tevatron

We calculate the leading electroweak corrections to the light neutral Higgs boson production via qq → WH at the Fermilab Tevatron in both the standard model and the minimal supersymmetric model, which arise from the top-quark and Higgs boson loop diagrams. We found that the leading electroweak corrections can exceed the QCD corrections for favorable values of the parameters in the MSSM, but such corrections are only about -2%~-4% in the SM, which are much smaller than the QCD corrections. For the mass region of 90 < mh, < 120 GeV, the leading electroweak corrections can reach -20% for large tan β, and these corrections may be observable at a high luminosity Tevatron; at the least, new constraints on the tan β can be established.     

(Non)decoupling of the Higgs triplet effects

We consider the electroweak theory with an additional Higgs triplet at one loop, using the hybrid renormalization scheme based on α_EM, G_F and M_Z as input observables. We show that in this scheme loop corrections can in a natural way be split into a standard model part and corrections due to “new physics”. The latter, however, do not decouple in the limit of an infinite triplet mass parameter, if the triplet trilinear coupling to the SM Higgs doublets grows with the triplet mass. For electroweak observables computed at one loop this effect can be attributed to the radiative generation in this limit of a nonvanishing vacuum expectation value of the triplet. We also point out that whenever tree level expressions for the electroweak observables depend on vacuum expectation values of scalar fields other than the standard model Higgs doublet, a tadpole contribution to the “oblique” parameter T should in principle be included. The origin of nondecoupling is discussed also on the basis of symmetry principles in a simple scalar field theory.     

Low-energy impact of a heavy Higgs boson sector

The effective theory which characterizes the low-energy sensitivity of the minimal Weinberg-Salam model to a heavy Higgs boson sector is shown to be the gauged SU(2)_L × U(1) non-linear θ model. This theory is the limit of the Weinberg-Salam model as the Higgs boson mass, M_H, is removed (M_H → ∞). Using the symmetry properties of the non-linear theory, along with a power-counting analysis, we are able to classify low-energy observables according to their sensitivity to the regulator (M_H). At one loop, the greatest sensitivity is a logarithmic dependence on the Higgs boson mass. The M_H dependent corrections to some specific, experimentally accessible observables are calculated, and other possible applications of this technique are discussed.     

Higgs boson properties in the Standard Model and its supersymmetric extensions

We review the realization of the Brout–Englert–Higgs mechanism in the electroweak theory and describe the experimental and theoretical constraints on the mass of the single Higgs boson expected in the minimal Standard Model. We also discuss the couplings of this Higgs boson and its possible decay modes as functions of its unknown mass. We then review the structure of the Higgs sector in the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (MSSM), noting the importance of loop corrections to the masses of its five physical Higgs bosons. Finally, we discuss some non-minimal models. To cite this article: J. Ellis et al., C. R. Physique 8 (2007).     

Resummation of angular dependent corrections in spontaneously broken gauge theories

Recent investigations of electroweak radiative corrections have revealed the importance of higher order contributions in high energy processes, where the size of typical corrections can exceed those associated with QCD considerably. Beyond one loop, only universal (angular independent) corrections are known to all orders except for massless processes, where also angle dependent corrections exist in the literature. In this paper we present general arguments for the consistent resummation of angle dependent subleading (SL) logarithmic corrections to all orders in the regime where all invariants are still large compared to the gauge boson masses. We discuss soft isospin correlations, fermion mass and gauge boson mass gap effects, the longitudinal and Higgs boson sector as well as mixing contributions including CKM effects for massive quarks. Two loop results for the right handed Standard Model are generalized in the context of the high energy effective theory based on the standard model Lagrangian in the symmetric basis with the appropriate matching conditions to include the soft QED regime. The result is expressed in exponentiated operator form in a CKM extended isospin space in the symmetric basis. Thus, a full electroweak SL treatment based on the infrared evolution equation method is formulated for arbitrary high energy processes at future colliders. Comparisons with known results are presented. Received: 12 February 2002 / Revised version: 7 March 2002 / Published online: 8 May 2002     

The higgs boson mass in standard electroweak theory

The Higgs—boson mass in standardSU(2)×U(1) electroweak theory is obtained by requiring the one-loop effective potential to be an exact solution of the renormalization—group equation. Neglecting fermion couplings one getsm _H =35 GeV.     

Non-standard gauge-boson self-interactions within a gauge invariant model

We examine dimension-six extensions of the standard electroweak Lagrangian which are invariant under localSU(2) _L ×U(1) _Y -transformations. The dimensionfour trilinear and quadrilinear effective interactions of the vector bosons with one another are found to coincide with the vector boson interactions previously derived from globalSU(2) weak isospin symmetry broken by electromagnetism. Supplementing the model by a well-known dimension-six single-parameter quadrupole interaction leads to the most general vector boson self-couplings that can be obtained by addition of dimension-six terms to the standard Lagrangian. We examine in some detail anotherSU(2) _L ×U(1) _Y -symmetric interaction which containsW ₃ B mixing and modifies both vector boson self-couplings and fermionic interactions. Independently of being strongly constrained by the LEP 1 data, the addition of this interaction to the above-mentioned non-standard ones does not change the form of the trilinear and quadrilinear non-standard self-couplings of the vector bosons. Therefore, while being interesting in itself with respect to LEP 1 physics, this term is irrelevant with respect to the phenomenology of the vector-boson self-interactions.     

Scalar Higgs boson production in fusion of two off-shell gluons

The amplitude for scalar Higgs boson production in the fusion of two off-shell gluons is calculated including finite (not infinite) masses of quarks in the triangle loop. In comparison to the effective Lagrangian approach, we have found a new term in the amplitude. The matrix element found can be used in the k_⊥-factorization approach to the Higgs boson production. The results are compared with the calculations for on-shell gluons. Small deviations from the cos²φ-dependence are predicted. The off-shell effects found are practically negligible. PACS 12.38.Bx; 14.80.Bn; 12.38.Qk; 13.85.Qk     

Electroweak chiral Lagrangian for left–right symmetric models: The matter sector

The matter sector of electroweak chiral Lagrangian up to dimension four operators for left–right symmetric models with a neutral light Higgs is provided. The connection of these operators to Yukawa couplings, anomalous gauge couplings and parameters in the matter sector of conventional electroweak chiral Lagrangian is made. It is shown that there exists proper parameter space to loosen constraint for the mass of right handed gauge boson from the mass difference of neutral K meson.     

The holographic composite Higgs

Theories where the Higgs boson is a composite particle elegantly solve the hierarchy problem. This idea has been recently investigated in the framework of 5-dimensional warped models that, according to the AdS/CFT correspondence, have a 4-dimensional holographic interpretation in terms of strongly coupled field theories. We present a minimal model in which the Higgs arises as a pseudo-Goldstone boson and the electroweak symmetry is dynamically broken. This model can successfully solve the flavor problem and pass all the electroweak precision tests. To cite this article: R. Contino, A. Pomarol, C. R. Physique 8 (2007).     

Hidden sector effects on double Higgs production near threshold at the LHC

In this Letter we study a novel effect of a hidden sector coupling to the standard model Higgs boson: an enhancement of the Higgs pair production cross section near threshold due to bound state effects. After summing the ladder contributions of the hidden sector to the effective ggHH coupling, we find the amplitude for gluon-gluon scattering via a Higgs loop. We relate this amplitude to the double Higgs production cross section via the optical theorem. We find that enhancements of the O(100) for the partonic cross section near the threshold region can be obtained for a hidden sector strongly coupled to the Higgs boson. The corresponding cross section at the LHC can be as large as O(10) times the SM result for extreme values of the coupling. The detection of such an effect could in principle lead to important information about the hidden sector.     

Numerical tests of the electroweak phase transition and thermodynamics of the electroweak plasma

The finite temperature phase transition in the SU(2) Higgs model at a Higgs boson mass M_H ≅ 34 GeV is studied in numerical simulations on four-dimensional lattices with time-like extensions up to L_t = 5. The effects of the finite volume and finite lattice spacing on masses and couplings are studied in detail. The errors due to uncertainties in the critical hopping parameter are estimated. The thermodynamics of the electroweak plasma near the phase transition is investigated by determining the relation between energy density and pressure.     

Renormalization group estimate of the hadronic decay width of the Higgs boson

The total hadronic decay width of the Weinberg-Salam type Higgs boson is estimated in QCD for the Higgs boson mass much larger than the ordinary hadronic mass scale, by use of the operator product expansion and renormalization group equation. We give an explicit formula for the decay width in terms of quark masses including strong interaction corrections up to the next-to-leading order. A numerical analysis of the hadronic decay width of the Higgs boson is made in the six-quark model. The next-to-leading order correction is found to be significant, e.g., 30-20% of the leading term for m_H of oue interest, m_H ? 1 TeV. Application of our scheme to the decay rates of heavy Higgs bosons of other types is also discussed.     

Effective gauge theory and the effect of heavy quarks in Higgs boson decays

A general framework is given for evaluating the contributions of as yet undiscovered heavy quarks to the gluonic decay rate of the Weinberg-Salam type Higgs boson. Since the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson to a quark pair is proportional to the quark mass, loop graphs involving heavy quarks have a non-vanishing effect on the gluonic decay width of the Higgs boson. This effect of heavy quarks with massesM _j(j=t,...) much greater than the Higgs boson massm _H is calculated in an effective gauge theory. The effects of two different kinds of large logarithms, lnM _j ² /μ m _h ² /μ ² are separated and summed up by the renormalization group method. It is found that the higher order QCD corrections are large and that the gluonic contribution to the hadronic decay width is significant if there are more than three generations. The Higgs decay width can therefore be used to probe the number of generations of heavy quarks.