More Like this

1. A natural mechanism for approximate Higgs alignment in the 2HDM

   https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP05(2021)235  

   Draper, Patrick ; Ekstedt, Andreas ; Haber, Howard E. ( May 2021 , Journal of High Energy Physics)

   A bstract The 2HDM possesses a neutral scalar interaction eigenstate whose tree-level properties coincide with the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson. In light of the LHC Higgs data which suggests that the observed Higgs boson is SM-like, it follows that the mixing of the SM Higgs interaction eigenstate with the other neutral scalar interaction eigenstates of the 2HDM should be suppressed, corresponding to the so-called Higgs alignment limit. The exact Higgs alignment limit can arise naturally due to a global symmetry of the scalar potential. If this symmetry is softly broken, then the Higgs alignment limit becomes approximate (although still potentially consistent with the current LHC Higgs data). In this paper, we obtain the approximate Higgs alignment suggested by the LHC Higgs data as a consequence of a softly broken global symmetry of the Higgs Lagrangian. However, this can only be accomplished if the Yukawa sector of the theory is extended. We propose an extended 2HDM with vector-like top quark partners, where explicit mass terms in the top sector provide the source of the soft symmetry breaking of a generalized CP symmetry. In this way, we can realize approximate Higgs alignment without a significant fine-tuning of the model parameters. Wemore »then explore the implications of the current LHC bounds on vector-like top quark partners for the success of our proposed scenario.« less
2. Endoscopic decompositions and the Hausel–Thaddeus conjecture

   https://doi.org/10.1017/fmp.2021.7  

   Maulik, Davesh ; Shen, Junliang ( January 2021 , Forum of Mathematics, Pi)

   Abstract We construct natural operators connecting the cohomology of the moduli spaces of stable Higgs bundles with different ranks and genera which, after numerical specialisation, recover the topological mirror symmetry conjecture of Hausel and Thaddeus concerning $\mathrm {SL}_n$ - and $\mathrm {PGL}_n$ -Higgs bundles. This provides a complete description of the cohomology of the moduli space of stable $\mathrm {SL}_n$ -Higgs bundles in terms of the tautological classes, and gives a new proof of the Hausel–Thaddeus conjecture, which was also proven recently by Gröchenig, Wyss and Ziegler via p -adic integration. Our method is to relate the decomposition theorem for the Hitchin fibration, using vanishing cycle functors, to the decomposition theorem for the twisted Hitchin fibration, whose supports are simpler.
3. Distinguishing 6d (1,0) SCFTs: an extension to the geometric construction

   Distler, Jacques ; Kang, Monica ; Lawrie, Craig ( March 2022 , ArXivorg)

   We provide a new extension to the geometric construction of 6d (1, 0) SCFTs that encap- sulates Higgs branch structures with identical global symmetry but different spectra. In particular, we find that there exist distinct 6d (1, 0) SCFTs that may appear to share their tensor branch description, flavor symmetry algebras, and central charges. For example, such subtleties arise for the very even nilpotent Higgsing of (so4k,so4k) conformal matter; we pro- pose a method to predict at which conformal dimension the Higgs branch operators of the two theories differ via augmenting the tensor branch description with the Higgs branch chiral ring generators of the building block theories. Torus compactifications of these 6d (1, 0) SCFTs give rise to 4d N = 2 SCFTs of class S and the Higgs branch of such 4d theories are cap- tured via the Hall–Littlewood index. We confirm that the resulting 4d theories indeed differ in their spectra in the predicted conformal dimension from their Hall–Littlewood indices. We highlight how this ambiguity in the tensor branch description arises beyond the very even nilpotent Higgsing of (so4k,so4k) conformal matter, and hence should be understood for more general classes of 6d (1, 0) SCFTs.
4. Top-induced contributions to H → $$ b\overline{b} $$ and H → $$ c\overline{c} $$ at $$ \mathcal{O}\left({\alpha}_s^3\right) $$

   https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP12(2020)058  

   Mondini, Roberto ; Schubert, Ulrich ; Williams, Ciaran ( December 2020 , Journal of High Energy Physics)

   A bstract In this paper we present a fully-differential calculation for the contributions to the partial widths H → $$ b\overline{b} $$ b b ¯ and H → $$ c\overline{c} $$ c c ¯ that are sensitive to the top quark Yukawa coupling y t to order $$ {\alpha}_s^3 $$ α s 3 . These contributions first enter at order $$ {\alpha}_s^2 $$ α s 2 through terms proportional to y t y q ( q = b, c ). At order $$ {\alpha}_s^3 $$ α s 3 corrections to the mixed terms are present as well as a new contribution proportional to $$ {y}_t^2 $$ y t 2 . Our results retain the mass of the final-state quarks throughout, while the top quark is integrated out resulting in an effective field theory (EFT). Our results are implemented into a Monte Carlo code allowing for the application of arbitrary final-state selection cuts. As an example we present differential distributions for observables in the Higgs boson rest frame using the Durham jet clustering algorithm. We find that the total impact of the top-induced (i.e. EFT) pieces is sensitive to the nature of the final-state cuts, particularly b -tagging and c -taggingmore »requirements. For bottom quarks, the EFT pieces contribute to the total width (and differential distributions) at around the percent level. The impact is much bigger for the H → $$ c\overline{c} $$ c c ¯ channel, with effects as large as 15%. We show however that their impact can be significantly reduced by the application of jet-tagging selection cuts.« less
5. Search for new particles in events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at $$ \sqrt{s} $$ = 13 TeV

   https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP11(2021)153  

   Tumasyan, A. ; Adam, W. ; Andrejkovic, J. W. ; Bergauer, T. ; Chatterjee, S. ; Dragicevic, M. ; Escalante Del Valle, A. ; Frühwirth, R. ; Jeitler, M. ; Krammer, N. ; et al ( November 2021 , Journal of High Energy Physics)

   A bstract A search is presented for new particles produced at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at $$ \sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV, using events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 101 fb − 1 , collected in 2017–2018 with the CMS detector. Machine learning techniques are used to define separate categories for events with narrow jets from initial-state radiation and events with large-radius jets consistent with a hadronic decay of a W or Z boson. A statistical combination is made with an earlier search based on a data sample of 36 fb − 1 , collected in 2016. No significant excess of events is observed with respect to the standard model background expectation determined from control samples in data. The results are interpreted in terms of limits on the branching fraction of an invisible decay of the Higgs boson, as well as constraints on simplified models of dark matter, on first-generation scalar leptoquarks decaying to quarks and neutrinos, and on models with large extra dimensions. Several of the new limits, specifically for spin-1 dark matter mediators, pseudoscalar mediators, colored mediators, and leptoquarks,more »are the most restrictive to date.« less