arXiv subjects

Abdesslam Arhrib

Publications and source records attributed to Abdesslam Arhrib.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Probing the Inert Scalar Sector of the Inert Doublet Model via Vector-Boson Fusion at a Muon Collider

We investigate the sensitivity of a future high-energy muon collider (MuCs) to the inert scalar sector of the Inert Doublet Model (IDM) through a comprehensive set of $2\to4$ electroweak gauge-boson fusion processes. The scalar spectrum consists of two CP-even neutral scalars: $h$ and $H$, one CP-odd neutral scalar $A$, and a pair of charged scalars $H^\pm$. We assume the neutral scalar $H$ to be the lightest inert state and the dark matter (DM) candidate, while the observed $125$~GeV Higgs boson is identified with the scalar of the Standard Model-like doublet. We consider charged Higgs pair production: $μ^+μ^-\to H^+H^-ν\barν$ induced by WW fusion, as well as the associated channels: $μ^+μ^-\to HH^\pmμ^\mpν$ and $μ^+μ^-\to AH^\pmμ^\mpν$, induced by $WZ$ and $Wγ$ fusion. Owing to their Vector Boson Fusion (VBF) origin, the corresponding cross sections increase significantly with collider energy, making them particularly well suited for exploration at a high-energy MuCs. We first study the $2\to 2$ subprocesses $WW\to H^+ H^-$ and $WV\to H^+ S_i$, $V=Z, γ$ and $S_i=H$ or $A$ and establish the destructive interference among the contributing diagrams. After imposing theoretical consistency requirements and current experimental constraints, including those from DM and collider searches, we evaluate the corresponding signal rates at $\sqrt{s}=3$, $10$, and $20$~TeV. We further perform a detector-level Monte Carlo analysis combined with a cut-based signal-background selection. Our results demonstrate that the sensitivity to inert scalar production increases significantly with collision energy, establishing the 10 and 20~TeV MuCs stages as powerful probes of the IDM inert scalar sector.

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arXiv2026

Can $γγ$ collisions rival $e^-e^+$ in probing doubly charged Higgs bosons?

High-energy $γγ$ collisions, realizable as an operational mode of future lepton linear colliders such as the ILC and CLIC, provide a promising environment to probe extended Higgs sectors. We investigate the sensitivity of such colliders to doubly charged Higgs bosons within the 2-Higgs Doublet Model with type-II seesaw (2HDMcT). Focusing on the three-body production channels $γγ\to H^{\pm\pm}H_1^{\mp}H_1^{\mp}$ and $γγ\to H^{\pm\pm}H_1^{\mp}W^{\mp}$, we perform a parameter space scan consistent with theoretical constraints as well as current collider, flavor, and electroweak precision observables (EWPOs). We show that $γγ$ collisions can rival the discovery potential of the conventional $e^+e^-$ mode for probing doubly charged Higgs bosons through a $4\ell+E_T^{miss}$ signature ($\ell=e,μ$). Despite the reduced effective luminosity resulting from the photon spectrum, the significantly enhanced production cross sections, exceeding those in electron-positron collisions by more than one order of magnitude, compensate for this limitation. By performing a detailed signal-to-background analysis at center-of-mass energies of $\sqrt{s}=830$ and $1245$ GeV, we demonstrate that a discovery significance at the $5σ$ level can be achieved for viable benchmark points (BPs).

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arXiv2026

Probing Doubly Charged Higgs Bosons with Three-Body Associated Production at Future $e^+e^-$ Colliders

We study the discovery prospects for a doubly charged Higgs boson $H^{\pm\pm}$ in the 2-Higgs doublet model with type-II seesaw at future $e^+e^-$ colliders. Focusing on the three-body channels $e^+e^- \to H^{\pm\pm}H_1^{\mp}H_1^{\mp}$ and $e^+e^- \to H^{\pm\pm}H_1^{\mp}W^{\mp}$, we scan the model parameter space subject to theoretical consistency as well as current collider, flavor and electroWeak precision observables (EWPOs). We find that these $2\to3$ production modes can exceed the conventional pair-production rate $e^+e^- \to H^{++}H^{--}$, followed by $H^{\pm\pm}\to H_1^{\pm}H_1^{\pm}$ and $H^{\pm}_1W^{\pm}$ decays, over wide regions, particularly above the $H^{\pm\pm}\to H_1^{\pm}H_1^{\pm}$ and $H^{\pm\pm}\to H_1^{\pm}W^{\pm}$ thresholds, reaching cross sections up to ${\cal O}(10^2)$~fb for $\sqrt{s}=500$--$1500$~GeV. A detector-level analysis of the $4\ell + E_T^{\text{miss}}$ signature, including dominant multiboson and top quark backgrounds, shows that discovery sensitivity is achievable for $\sqrt{s}=1000$-$1500$~GeV with integrated luminosities in the few ab$^{-1}$ range, even in the presence of realistic systematic uncertainties.

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arXiv2026

One-loop QED and Weak Corrections to $γγ\to H^\pm H^\mp$ in the Inert Doublet Model

We present a complete one-loop analysis of charged scalar boson pair production in photon-photon collisions, $γγ\to H^\pm H^\mp$, within the framework of the Inert Doublet Model (IDM). The calculation is carried out in the on-shell renormalization scheme and incorporates both weak corrections and QED effects, including soft and hard photon radiation. Virtual loop contributions and real emission processes are computed using the Feynman diagrammatic method, ensuring the cancellation of ultraviolet and infrared divergences. To properly account for the Coulomb singularity that arises in the QED sector near threshold, we introduce the resummed cross section based on the Sommerfeld factor. The IDM parameter space is explored under theoretical consistency conditions, collider limits, and dark matter constraints, and three representative scenarios are studied in detail. We find that the magnitude of the quantum corrections is strongly controlled by the absolute value of the trilinear scalar coupling $λ_{h^0 H^+ H^-}$, which correlates with the charged scalar mass. When all constraints are applied, the weak corrections are typically in the range of $-12\%$ to $-7\%$ at $\sqrt{s}=250$~GeV, and between $-15\%$ and $6\%$ at $\sqrt{s}=500$~GeV. At higher energies, such as $\sqrt{s}=1$~TeV, the corrections can become very large, ranging from about $-20\%$ up to $+60\%$. Our findings highlight the significant role of higher-order effects in photon-photon collisions and establish $γγ\to H^\pm H^\mp$ as a promising process to investigate the charged scalar sector of the IDM at future high-energy photon colliders. Several benchmark points are proposed to facilitate future experimental searches.

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arXiv2025

Probing Standard Model-like di-Higgs Production at Photon-Photon Colliders in the I(1+2)HDM Type-I

In this paper, pair production of Standard Model (SM)-like Higgs bosons, $hh$, is studied through $γγ$ scattering at future electron-positron colliders, in the framework of the Inert Doublet Model with two Active Doublets, i.e., the I(1+2)HDM for short. The relevance of the process $γγ\to hh$ for such a Beyond the SM (BSM) scenario stems from the fact that it is a one-loop process at lowest order, wherein inert charged states $χ^\pm$ contribute alongside with $W^\pm$, $H^\pm$ and heavy fermions (primarily, bottom and top quarks), crucially, at the same perturbative order. {Given that $χ^\pm/H^\pm$ masses and $hS^+S^-$ ($S^\pm=χ^\pm, H^\pm$) couplings are very mildly constrained,} there exist regions of the parameter space of the I(1+2)HDM where the former can be rather light and the latter rather large. After imposing up-to-date theoretical and experimental constraints on the I(1+2)HDM, it is found that the production rates of such process at future $γγ$ machines can be enhanced up to a factor of $\approx$ $50$ with respect to the SM, significantly exceeding typical yields of conventional 2-Higgs Doublet Models (2HDMs). Further, thanks to the level of control that one can attain at such facilities on the photon kinematics, leading to excellent invariant mass resolution of the incoming photon pairs, we show how it is possible to extract from this process the value of the $χ^\pm$ mass (along that of the active $H^\pm$ states) with high precision, whichever the decays of the $hh$ pair, both with and without beam polarization.

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arXiv2025

A comprehensive study of the charged Higgs boson in the two Higgs doublet type-II seesaw model

We investigate the phenomenology of the charged Higgs boson within the Two-Higgs-Doublet Type-II Seesaw Model (2HDMcT Type-III) at future $μ^+ μ^-$ colliders. Focusing on $2 \to 2$ processes such as $μ^+ μ^- \to H^+_1 S^-$ ($S^- = H^-_1, H^-_2$) and $μ^+ μ^- \to H^+_1 W^-$, we incorporate both theoretical and experimental constraints to assess their production prospects. We find that $σ(μ^+ μ^- \to H_1^+ H_1^-)$ can reach or exceed the corresponding $e^+ e^-$ cross section, while $σ(μ^+ μ^- \to H_1^+ H_2^-)$ is roughly eighteen times smaller but can be enhanced up to 0.62 fb upon relaxing electroweak precision observables constraints. Moreover, we observe that the cross section for $μ^+ μ^- \to H^+_1 W^-$ is significantly enhanced due to the large $\tanβ$ amplification characteristic of the Type-III scenario. Furthermore, we conduct a signal-background analysis and determine the discovery ($5σ$) regions at a 3 TeV muon collider for the $μ^+ μ^- \to H_1^+ H_1^-$, $μ^+ μ^- \to H_1^+ H_2^-$, and $μ^+ μ^- \to W^\pm H_1^\mp$ processes.

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arXiv2025

When The Standard Model Higgs Meets Its Lighter 95 GeV Twin

Recent reports from the Large Hadron Collider indicate two excesses: one in the lighter Higgs mass region around 95 GeV, and another in the rare $Z γ$ final state of the Standard Model (SM) 125 GeV Higgs decay. These anomalies are analyzed within the minimal gauged two-Higgs-doublet model (G2HDM). A viable parameter space in G2HDM is identified that can account for both excesses. Within the viable parameter space, we find a strong correlation between the signal strengths of the SM 125 GeV Higgs decays into $γγ$ and $Z γ$ modes. However, this correlation does not extend to the lighter 95 GeV Higgs.

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arXiv2025

Searching for charged Higgs bosons via $e^+ e^- \to H^\pm W^\mp S$ at the ILC

We investigate the phenomenology of the charged Higgs boson at the International Linear Collider (ILC) within the framework of the type-X Two-Higgs Doublet Model (2HDM), where a light charged Higgs boson, with a mass around 200 GeV or even smaller than top quark mass, is still being consistent with flavor physics data as well as with the colliders experimental data. In the theoretically and experimentally allowed parameter space, the $e^+ e^- \to H^\pm W^\mp S$ (with $S = H, A$) production processes can yield signatures with event rates larger than those from $e^+ e^- \to H^+ H^-$ and offer sensitivity to the Higgs mixing parameter $\sin(β-α)$. We consider the bosonic $H^\pm \to W^\pm S$ decays, where the neutral scalar $S$ further decays into a pair of tau leptons. We show, through a detector-level Monte Carlo analysis, that the resulting $[ττ][ττ] WW$ final state could be seen at the ILC with at least 500 GeV center-of-mass energy and 500 fb$^{-1}$ of luminosity.

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arXiv2025

Search for charged Higgs bosons through vector-like top quark pair production at the LHC

We investigate the discovery prospects for a vector-like top partner (VLT) in the Type-II Two-Higgs-Doublet Model (2HDM-II) extended by a vector-like quark doublet ($TB$) at the 14~TeV LHC. The study focuses on the pair production process $pp \to T\bar{T} \to bH^+\, \bar{b}H^- \to b(tb)\, \bar{b}(\bar{t}b)$, yielding fully hadronic final states characterized by high $b$-jet multiplicity. Two analysis strategies are employed, requiring at least four or five $b$-tagged jets (4$b$ and 5$b$), to exploit the signal topology. Assuming a charged Higgs mass of $m_{H^\pm} \sim 600$~GeV and a systematic uncertainty of $δ= 5\%$, the 4$b$ channel enables discovery up to $m_T \sim 1200$~GeV at $\mathcal{L} = 300~\text{fb}^{-1}$, while the 5$b$ analysis extends the reach to $m_T \sim 1300$~GeV. At higher luminosities of 1000--3000~fb$^{-1}$, the 5$b$ strategy achieves discovery sensitivity up to $m_T \sim 1400$~GeV. The reach is significantly reduced as $m_{H^\pm}$ increases, due to the suppression of the $\text{BR}(T \to H^+ b)$: for $m_{H^\pm} \sim 1000$~GeV, discovery becomes unattainable across all luminosity and systematic uncertainty configurations. Sensitivity is also strongly impacted by systematic uncertainties: for $δ= 10\%$ and $m_{H^\pm} < 1000$~GeV, discovery remains viable up to $m_T \sim 1200$~GeV in the 5$b$ analysis, while for $δ= 20\%$, no discovery is achievable for $m_T \geq 1000$~GeV.

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arXiv2025

HHH Whitepaper

We here report on the progress of the HHH Workshop, that took place in Dubrovnik in July 2023. After the discovery of a particle that complies with the properties of the Higgs boson of the Standard Model, all Standard Model (SM) parameters are in principle determined. However, in order to verify or falsify the model, the full form of the potential has to be determined. This includes the measurement of the triple and quartic scalar couplings. We here report on ongoing progress of measurements for multi-scalar final states, with an emphasis on three SM-like scalar bosons at 125 GeV, but also mentioning other options. We discuss both experimental progress and challenges as well as theoretical studies and models that can enhance such rates with respect to the SM predictions

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arXiv2025

Anatomy of Vector-Like Top-Quark Models in the Alignment Limit of the 2-Higgs Doublet Model Type-II

A comprehensive extension of the ordinary 2-Higgs Doublet Model (2HDM), supplemented by Vector-Like Quarks (VLQs), in the "alignment limit" is presented. In such a scenario, we study the possibility that Large Hadron Collider (LHC) searches for VLQs can profile their nature too, i.e., whether they belong to a singlet, doublet, or triplet representation. To achieve this, we exploit both Standard Model (SM) decays of VLQs with top-(anti)quark Electromagnetic (EM) charge ($T$), i.e., into $b,t$ quarks and $W^\pm, Z,h$ bosons (which turn out to be suppressed and hence $T$ states can escape existing limits) as well as their exotic decays, i.e., into $b,t$ (and possibly $B$) quarks and $H^\pm, H, A$ bosons. We show that quite specific decay patterns emerge in the different VLQ representations so that, depending upon which $T$ signals are accessed at the LHC, one may be able to ascertain the underlying Beyond Standard Model (BSM) structure, especially if mass knowledge of the new fermionic and bosonic sectors can be inferred from (other) data.

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arXiv2024

Anatomy of Vector-Like Bottom-Quark Models in the Alignment Limit of the 2-Higgs Doublet Model Type-II

Expanding upon our ongoing investigation of Vector-Like Quark (VLQ) phenomenology within a 2-Higgs Doublet Model (2HDM) framework, in this paper, we complement a previous one dedicated to Vector-Like Top-quarks (VLTs) by studying Vector-Like Bottom-quarks (VLBs), specifically focusing on their behavior in the alignment limit of a Type-II Yukawa structure. We examine the potential for detecting VLBs at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and analyze their decay signatures, encompassing both Standard Model (SM) processes and exotic decays. The objective is to differentiate among singlet, doublet, and triplet configurations of VLBs by identifying distinct decay patterns, thereby providing insights into the structure of Beyond the SM (BSM) physics.

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arXiv2024

Large Hadron Collider Signatures of Exotic Vector-Like Quarks within the 2-Higgs Doublet Model Type-II

We study the decay of the exotic Vector-Like Quarks (VLQs) $X$ and $Y$, with $5/3$ and $-4/3$ units of electric charge, respectively, within the 2-Higgs Doublet Model (2HDM). Building on our previous studies of Vector-Like Top and Bottom (VLT and VLB) quarks, we now investigate the characteristics of $X$ and $Y$ in the alignment limit of a Type-II Yukawa structure and show that, in the framework of such a 2HDM, one can have large non-Standard Model (SM) decay rates of the $X$ and$ Y$ states. Our analysis focuses on their potential detection at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), based on their pair production followed by a variety of both SM and non-SM decay patterns. In order to distinguish between doublet and triplet representations of the VLQs $X$ and $Y$, we uncover specific signatures that can provide insights into this particular architecture of Beyond the SM (BSM) physics.

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arXiv2024

Accommodating the LHC Charged Higgs Boson Excess at 130 GeV in the General Two-Higgs Doublet Model

Charged Higgs bosons are common predictions in most extensions of the Standard Model (SM) Higgs sector. Therefore, their observation would elucidate the nature of the Higgs sector. Motivated by the ATLAS collaboration's latest analysis performed with $139~\text{fb}^{-1}$ of Run 2 data intended to search for charged Higgs boson, produced in top quark decay and subsequently decaying via $H^\pm \rightarrow cb$, where an excess with a local significance of $3σ$ is observed at $m_{H^\pm} = 130~\rm{GeV}$, we discuss here the possibility of explaining such excess in the context of the general 2-Higgs Doublet Model (2HDM type-III), after satisfying all theoretical and up-to-date experimental constraints. We also propose phenomenological scenarios to further explore the mass region around 130 GeV in the four Yukawa types of the 2HDM type-III and suggest alternative decay channel $H^\pm \rightarrow cs$ and/or $H^\pm \rightarrow W^{\pm *}h$ to probe the nature of the observed excess (if it is not a statistical fluctuation). Future searches for $H^\pm$ will be critical in confirming or refuting the first hint of a light charged Higgs boson at the LHC.

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arXiv2024

Associated charged Higgs production within the 2HDM: $e^-e^+$ versus $μ^-μ^+$ colliders

Our goal is to investigate the charged Higgs phenomenology in the framework of 2HDM at the upcoming $e^+e^-$ and muon colliders. We are primarily concerned with the associated production processes with a fermion pair: $\ell^+ \ell^- \to τ^+ ν_{τ}H^-$ and $\ell^+ \ell^- \to t \bar{b} H^-$, as well as with the W boson and a neutral Higgs boson: $\ell^+ \ell^- \to W^\pm H^\mp S$ ($S=h,\,H,\, A$) and $\ell^+ \ell^- \to W^\pm H^\mp Z$. We first update the results for $e^+e^- \to \{ τ^+ ν_{τ}H^-\ , \ t \bar{b} H^-\}$ and then discuss our findings for $e^+e^- \to \{ W^\pm H^\mp S\}$ for various center of mass energies 500 GeV, 1 TeV, 1.5 TeV and 3 TeV. In the case of muon collider, we show that the new s-channel and t-channel diagrams can increase the cross sections by virtue of their Yukawa couplings. We systematically compare our results for the muon collider with those obtained at the International Linear (ILC) and Compact Linear (CLIC) colliders. We select benchmark points and conduct signal-background analyses, incorporating detector simulations. For a 3 TeV muon collider, our results show an exclusion region at the 2$σ$ level and a discovery region at the 5$σ$ level.

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arXiv2024

Echoes of Veltman criteria on the next-two-Higgs-doublet model

We investigate how the Next-Two-Higgs Doublet Model extension (N2HDM) should look if we are to address the naturalness problem using dimensional regularization. In such a model, new Higgs states are predicted, namely: three CP-even $h_{1,2,3}$, one CP-odd $A$, and a pair of charged Higgs boson $H^\pm$. Our calculations of the overall quadratic divergences have been performed with full consistency with the latest data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) concerning the observed 125 GeV Higgs boson, alongside precision electroweak data tests and lower mass limits on charged Higgs boson. It is shown that the quadratically divergent quantum corrections $δ_i$ (i=1,2,3) for the three CP-even Higgs bosons are controllably small, though hidden fine-tuning might still be required. This reveals a significant impact on the model parameter space, Higgs spectrum mass, and notably the singlet-doublet admixture.

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arXiv2024

Comparison between $μ^{-}μ^{+}$ and $e^{-}e^{+}$ colliders for charged Higgs production in 2HDM

We study the phenomenology of the charged Higgs boson at future muon colliders. We investigate both the pair production $μ^+ μ^- \to H^+ H^-$, the single production $μ^+ μ^- \to W^\pm H^\mp$, as well as the Vector Boson Fusion (VBF) $\{e^+e^-, μ^+ μ^-\} \to ν\barν H^+ H^-$. We show that the neutral Higgs exchange diagrams in the muon collider case can lead to a significant boost in the cross sections through their Yukawa couplings. Our results for the muon collider are systematically compared to the corresponding ones at $e^+e^-$ machines. It is demonstrated that the vector boson fusion (VBF) $e^+e^- \to ν\barν H^+ H^-$ can compete with the mentioned $2\to 2$ processes. We select benchmark points and perform signal-background analyses, taking into account detector simulations. We demonstrate the discovery region at $5σ$ and the excluded region at $2σ$ levels at a 3 TeV muon collider.

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arXiv2024

The oblique parameters in the 2HDM with Vector-Like Quarks: Confronting $M_W$ CDF-II Anomaly

The CDF collaboration has released a new measurement of the $W$ boson mass using their complete data set with 8.8 fb$^{-1}$ in $p\bar{p}$ collisions. This result deviates from the Standard Model prediction by around 7$σ$. We explain how the two Higgs doublet model (2HDM) with vector-like quarks is affected by the recently discovered W boson mass. In our study, we include both theoretical constraints such as perturbative unitarity and vacuum stability as well as a number of experimental constraints. We also look into how the effective mixing angle, measured by the SLD collaboration in addition to the CDF W-boson mass, is used to determine the $S$ and $T$ parameters. In the alignment limit, we investigate the case where the lighter CP-even neutral Higgs boson of the 2HDM is the one found at the LHC and demonstrate how the parameter space of the 2HDM type II in the presence of vector-like quarks is constrained. It is found that in most cases, there is a cancellation between the 2HDM and vector-like quarks contributions, which enlarges the parameter space of both models.

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