Interpreting electroweak precision data including the $W$-mass CDF anomaly

Abstract

We perform a global fit of electroweak data, finding that the anomaly in the $W$ mass claimed by the CDF collaboration can be reproduced as a universal new-physics correction to the $T$ parameter or $| H^\dagger D_\mu H|^2$ operator. Contributions at tree-level from multi-TeV new physics can fit the anomaly compatibly with collider bounds: we explore which scalar vacuum expectation values (such as a triplet with zero hypercharge), $Z'$ vectors (such as a $Z'$ coupled to the Higgs only), little-Higgs models or higher-dimensional geometries provide good global fits. On the other hand, new physics that contributes at loop-level must be around the weak scale to fit the anomaly. Thereby it generically conflicts with collider bounds, that can be bypassed assuming special kinematics like quasi-degenerate particles that decay into Dark Matter (such as an inert Higgs doublet or appropriate supersymmetric particles).