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arXiv · 1211.6119

Evading death by vacuum

A. Barroso·P. M. Ferreira·I. P. Ivanov·Rui Santos·João P. Silva
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Abstract

In the Standard Model, the Higgs potential allows only one minimum at tree-level. But the open possibility that there might be two scalar doublets enriches the vacuum structure, allowing for the risk that we might now be in a metastable state, which we dub the panic vacuum. Current experiments at the LHC are probing the Higgs particle predicted as a result of the spontaneous symmetry breaking. Remarkably, in the two Higgs model with a softly broken U(1) symmetry, the LHC experiments already preclude panic vacuum solutions.

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A. Barroso, P. M. Ferreira, I. P. Ivanov, Rui Santos, João P. Silva. 2013-03-15. Evading death by vacuum. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc%2Fs10052-013-2537-0

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