arXiv subjects

Andreas Crivellin

Publications and source records attributed to Andreas Crivellin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Searching for charged Higgs bosons in top decays via the $t^*b$ channel

Rare top-quark decays offer a sensitive probe of charged Higgs bosons with masses below the top mass, owing to the large $t\bar t$ production rate at the LHC and the distinctive final states involving leptons and $b$-jets. While existing searches target the $H^\pm\to \tau\nu$, $cs$, and $cb$ modes, the decay $H^\pm\to tb$ has been studied only for heavier charged Higgs bosons with an on-shell top quark in the final state. The low-mass off-shell channel $H^\pm\to t^*b$ therefore remains essentially unconstrained, even though it can become the dominant decay mode below the top-quark threshold owing to the large top Yukawa coupling. We study charged-Higgs production from the rare top decay $t\to H^\pm b$, followed by the decay $H^\pm\to t^*b$. Top-antitop production and decay hence give rise to a $t\bar t b\bar b$-like final state, which we constrain by reinterpreting recent ATLAS fiducial measurements in dileptonic events. We obtain model-independent limits of 1.9%-2.9% on the product of branching ratios ${\rm Br}(t\to H^\pm b)\times{\rm Br}(H^\pm\to t^*b)$ for charged-Higgs masses between 110 and 165 GeV, and interpret these bounds in several two-Higgs-doublet scenarios. While dedicated searches for conventional charged-Higgs decays dominate for canonical $Z_2$-symmetric models, the $t^*b$ reinterpretation becomes competitive near the top-quark threshold in the up-type aligned limit and provides relevant direct constraint in a top-philic scenario. In the top-specific Two-Higgs-Doublet Model, it additionally excludes a low-$\tan\beta$ region not covered by conventional searches. These results thus establish $t\bar t$ production with additional $b$-jets as a complementary probe of light charged Higgs bosons and nonstandard top-quark decays, and motivate dedicated analyses by the LHC collaborations.

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arXiv2026

Radiative Signature of New Scalar Boson Decays in the $m_{\ell \ell \gamma}$ Spectrum at the LHC

We investigate the radiative decay $S \to W^+W^-\gamma$ in the context of the multi-lepton anomalies and recent indications of a narrow scalar resonance near $m_S = 152 \pm 1~\text{GeV}$ in the $\gamma\gamma$, $Z\gamma$, and $W^+W^-$ channels at the Large Hadron Collider. These excesses arise in final states containing leptons, missing transverse momentum, and associated $b$-jets, and motivate a search for a corresponding localized excess in the invariant-mass spectrum of the dilepton--photon system, $m_{\ell\ell\gamma}$, in events with associated $b$-jets. We use recent CMS measurements of the ${t\bar{t}}\gamma$ differential cross sections~\cite{CMS:2025zbe} to study the $m_{\ell\ell\gamma}$ spectrum and perform a search for a scalar-resonance contribution. A localized excess is observed, compatible with the scalar-resonance hypothesis, with a global significance of $2.7\sigma$ at $m_S = 152~\text{GeV}$. This result provides additional support for the hypothesis of a narrow resonance. The ratio $\sigma(S \to W^+W^-\gamma)/\sigma(S \to W^+W^-) = (2.14 \pm 0.77)$\% is extracted. This value is compatible with an enhanced radiative contribution that could arise in scenarios beyond the Standard Model.

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arXiv2026

Impact of Hadronic Resonances on $B\to K^{(*)}\tau^+\tau^-$ decays

Neutral-current semileptonic $B$ decays are plagued by hadronic resonances across the dilepton invariant-mass squared spectrum, $q^2$. For light leptons, $\ell=e,\mu$, these resonances can be avoided with suitable $q^2$ cuts. This strategy is less straightforward for $\tau$ modes, where missing energy from the $\tau$ decay makes $q^2$ difficult to reconstruct. In fact, while Belle II is able to discriminate between different regions in $q^2$ due to its clean environment, this is not directly possible in a hadronic one. Therefore, the interpretation of $b\to s\tau^+\tau^-$ measurements from e.g. LHCb, CMS requires the description of these resonant effects. In this article, we adopt a different strategy by including the resonant contributions (in particular from $\psi(2S)$) into our predictions for $B\to K^{(*)}\tau^+\tau^-$ decays, instead of avoiding them. We provide predictions for different initial kinematic points ($4m_\tau^2, 14.18\,$GeV$^2$ and $15\,$GeV$^2$) that can be convenient for LHCb, CMS and Belle II. For this, we use a data-driven approach based on the LHCb measurements of $B\to K^{(*)}\mu^+\mu^-$ decays. Including the resonances and integrating over the full $q^2$ range substantially enhances the Standard Model predictions. However, for sufficiently large New Physics, motivated by the current tensions in $R(D^{(*)})$ and $B\to K^{(*)}\nu\nu$ decays, the short-distance contribution becomes comparable to or even exceeds the resonant one. This highlights two advantages of this strategy: it exploits the additional phase space associated with the resonant regions to probe large New Physics contributions, and it enables the use of hadron-collider data, where the resonances cannot be resolved. We further quantify how including or neglecting the resonances affects the total branching ratio as a function of New Physics contributions and, equivalently, of the experimental precision.

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arXiv2026

Predicting Three Generations of Fermions: Discovery Prospects of the Bilepton Model

We study the production of pairs of doubly-charged bileptons and assess their discovery potential in light of the integrated luminosities available at the High-Luminosity LHC. The production rates are governed primarily by the bilepton mass, $(m_Y)$, and the mass of the exotic heavy quarks, $(m_D)$. We consider two complementary production channels: (i) direct bilepton pair production and (ii) bilepton production mediated through heavy-quark decays. Notably, the latter typically yields significantly enhanced cross sections and gives rise to distinctive LHC signatures, even when the bileptons are produced off-shell. The two mechanisms therefore probe complementary regions of parameter space, with direct production being predominantly sensitive to $m_Y$, while the heavy-quark-mediated channel depends mainly on $m_D$. Owing to the essentially background-free signature of four energetic leptons at the LHC, we show that Run-2 data allow a discovery only for $m_D \lesssim 1\,\mathrm{TeV}$, whereas the HL-LHC can achieve a $5\sigma$ discovery up to $m_D \lesssim 2.5\,\mathrm{TeV}$ (nearly independently of $m_Y$) and/or for $m_Y \lesssim 2\,\mathrm{TeV}$ (even if $D$ is heavy).

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arXiv2026

Indications for New Higgs Bosons

After the Higgs discovery, the question of whether particles beyond those of the Standard Model exist is more pressing than ever. In this context, the scalar sector is particularly promising, since it lies at the core of the internal problems of the Standard Model, while extensions of it allow us to resolve them and can provide explanations for Dark matter, non-zero neutrino masses, inflation etc. In these proceedings, we review the indications for new Higgs bosons at the electroweak scale with masses of $\approx$95 GeV and $\approx$152 GeV. These excesses are most significant in the di-photon channel but are supported by weaker-than-expected limits in other decay modes. While for the 95 GeV candidate the production mechanism is mostly unknown, the (hypothetical) 152 GeV Higgs is dominantly produced in association with leptons, $(b)$ jets and missing energy, pointing towards the Drell-Yan production of an $SU(2)_L$ triplet with $Y=0$. Interestingly, this model predicts $t\to H^\pm b$ with $H^\pm\to WZ$, which resembles the signature of $t\bar{t}Z$ production in the Standard Model and is in fact preferred by current data. Finally, we investigate the possibility that the significant tensions between the Standard Model predictions and the measurements in differential top-quark distributions are due to contamination from new physics involving both the 152 GeV and the 95 GeV scalar.

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arXiv2026

Multi-Lepton Probes of the Drell-Yan Production of Triplet Higgses

Excesses in di-photon, $Z\gamma$, and $WW$ spectra indicate the existence of a new Higgs boson with mass $152 \pm 1$ GeV. However, no excess is observed in the $ZZ$ channel. This pattern aligns with a Real Higgs Triplet model with hypercharge $Y = 0$ ($\Delta$SM). A prediction of this model is the Drell--Yan production of scalars at the LHC, which dominantly decay to electroweak bosons, thus enhancing the cross sections of triboson channels such as $WWZ$, $WZZ$, and $WWW$. Interestingly, both ATLAS and CMS have reported higher-than-expected significances for such processes: $6.4\sigma$ (observed) vs $4.7\sigma$ (expected) in the $VVZ$ (where $V = W$ or $Z$) channel and $4.4\sigma$ vs $3.6\sigma$ in $WWZ$, suggesting the possibility that these signals may be manifestations of an extended Higgs sector. We investigate whether the $\Delta$SM can account for these triboson excesses through electroweak production and decay of triplet scalars. We find that while current data prefers a non-zero new physics signal ($2.6\sigma$), the $\Delta$SM predicts more events than observed, such that it is consistent with data but not preferred over the SM. However, this tension could be clarified with Run~3 and HL-LHC data.

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arXiv2025

Correlating Resonant Di-Higgs and Tri-Higgs Production to $H\to VV$ in the 2HDM

The observation of resonant di-Higgs production, which would strongly suggest the existence of a new heavy neutral scalar $H$, has been searched for extensively at the LHC. In the two-Higgs doublet model (2HDM) with $m_H\gg m_h$, where $h$ is the Higgs boson of mass 125 GeV observed at the LHC, we show that a direct correlation emerges between ${\rm Br}(H\to hh)$ and ${\rm Br}(H\to VV)$, with $V=Z,W$, which depends only on $m_H$ (and $m_V$). In particular, for heavy scalar masses between 500 GeV and 1 TeV, we find that ${\rm Br}(H\to hh)/{\rm Br}(H\to ZZ)\approx 9.4\pm 0.25$. Moreover, $H\to hh$ is a dominant decay mode over a significant region of the parameter space and serves as the primary probe for a heavy scalar resonance at current and future hadron colliders. The origin of these predictions is most transparent in the Higgs basis, where the term in the scalar potential proportional to $\mathcal H_1^\dagger \mathcal H_1 \mathcal H_1^\dagger \mathcal H_2$ (and its hermitian conjugate) generates the leading contributions to the $Hhh$ and $Hhhh$ couplings in the decoupling limit of the 2HDM. Additionally, the latter coupling governs the resonant prompt tri-Higgs production via $H\to hhh$, which is also directly correlated to $H\to hh$ (and $H\to VV$), and can yield rates large enough to be measured at the High-Luminosity LHC.

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arXiv2025

Constraining $A\to ZH$ with $H\to t\bar t$ in the Low-Mass Region

The decay $A\to ZH$ is a characteristic signal of two-Higgs-doublet models (2HDMs), where $A$ and $H$ lie primarily within the same $SU(2)_L$ multiplet, leading to a coupling of order $g_2$ to the $Z$ boson. The subsequent decay $H\to tt^{(*)}$ is particularly promising, as it gives rise to distinct final states involving multiple leptons and $b$-jets. The required splitting between $m_A$ and $m_H$ can naturally occur near the electroweak scale while being consistent with perturbative unitarity. Whereas dedicated ATLAS and CMS searches focused on the region with both top-quarks on-shell, we cover lower masses where one top quark is off-shell by recasting Standard Model $t\bar{t}Z$ measurements of ATLAS and CMS. The obtained limits on $\sigma(A\to ZH)\times {\rm Br} (H\to t\bar t)$ are between $0.12$ pb and $0.62$ pb. Interestingly, we observe these stringent limits despite a preference (up to $2.5\sigma$) for a non-zero new physics signal, most pronounced around for $m_A \approx 450-460$ GeV and $m_H\approx 290$ GeV, with a best-fit value of $\sigma(A \to ZH) \times {\rm Br}(H \to t\bar t) \approx 0.3$ pb. This cross section can be accommodated within a top-philic 2HDM for a top-Yukawa coupling of the second Higgs doublet of $\mu_t \gtrsim 0.16$.

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arXiv2025

Two-loop anomalous dimensions for baryon-number-violating operators in SMEFT

We compute the two-loop renormalization-group equations for the baryon-number-violating dimension-six operators in the SMEFT. This includes all three gauge interactions, the Yukawa, and Higgs self-interaction contributions. In addition, we present the one-loop matching of the $S_1$ scalar leptoquark on the SMEFT, which can generate the Wilson coefficients of all four gauge-invariant baryon-number-violating SMEFT operators. Using this example, we demonstrate the cancellation of scheme and matching-scale dependences. Together with the known two-loop renormalization-group evolution below the electroweak scale in the LEFT, as well as the one-loop matching of SMEFT onto LEFT, our results enable consistent next-to-leading-log analyses of nucleon decays, provided that the relevant matrix elements are known at next-to-leading-order accuracy.

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arXiv2025

Discovery Prospects for the 150 GeV charged scalar at Future $e^+e^-$ Colliders

The Real Higgs Triplet model, known as the $\Delta$SM, is a minimal extension of the Standard Model (SM) obtained by adding a hypercharge 0 triplet ($\Delta$). This simple model is motivated by the multi-lepton anomalies and excesses in di-photon, $Z\gamma$, and $WW$ spectra at $\approx152$ GeV. The model contains, in addition to the SM particle content, a $CP$-even neutral Higgs ($\Delta^0$) and a charged state ($\Delta^\pm$), which are quasi-degenerate in mass. Observing the charged scalar at the LHC and measuring its mass is very challenging, since it dominantly decays to $WZ$, $tb$, and $\tau\nu$. In this article, we consider the discovery prospects of the charged Higgs with mass 150 GeV at future electron-positron colliders. Taking into account $e^+e^- \to \gamma^*,Z^* \to \Delta^\pm \Delta^\mp$ as the production mechanism and the dominant decay modes, we define three signal regions (SR) to study the 150 GeV charged Higgs properties: SR1: $\ge 3j + 1\ell$, SR2: $\ge 3\ell + \tau_{\text{had}}$, SR3: $\ge 4j + \tau_{\text{had}}$. For $m_{\Delta^\pm}=150\text{ GeV}$, a $5\sigma$ significance can be achieved in SR1 with an integrated luminosity of less than $1\text{ fb}^{-1}$. SR2 is very clean with leptonic final states having low background and small systematic uncertainties. Furthermore, SR3 is crucial for reconstructing the charged scalar invariant mass, which can be measured with $\mathcal{O}(1)$ GeV accuracy with an integrated luminosity of $500\text{ fb}^{-1}$.

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arXiv2025

Searching for a Charged Higgs Boson in Top-Quark Decays via the $WZ$ Mode

Top-quark decays are sensitive probes of light charged Higgs bosons ($H^\pm$) due to the sizable $t\bar t$ production cross section at the LHC in conjunction with their distinct experimental signatures. While dedicated ATLAS and CMS searches considered only $H^\pm$ decays into $\tau\nu$, $cs$, or $cb$ for $m_{H^\pm}<m_t$, the $WZ$ channel remains unexplored, despite being the dominant mode in $SU(2)_L$ triplet models. Since, top-quark pair production with $t \to H^\pm b$ and $H^\pm \to WZ$ gives rise to $t\bar{t}Z$-like signatures, we recast existing $t\bar{t}Z$ analyses to search for signs of charged Higgs bosons and set novel limits on the product of branching fractions Br$(t\to H^\pm b) \times $Br$(H^\pm\to WZ)$. These constraints turn out to be at the sub-permille level, despite the observed $2\sigma$ preference for a non-zero value. Interpreted within the hypercharge $Y=0$ Higgs triplet model, this translates into a stringent constraint on the triplet Higgs vacuum expectation value of $v_\Delta\lesssim 2$ GeV, which is stronger than those from the $cs,\tau\nu$ modes and even surpasses electroweak precision constraints from the $\rho$ parameter. Moreover, the $2\sigma$ preference for a non-zero cross section further strengthens the cumulative case for a $\approx152$ GeV boson as suggested, in particular, by di-photon excesses.

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arXiv2025

Searching for Di-Higgs Signatures of Light Charged Scalars

The excess in $t\to b\overline{b}c$ observed by ATLAS points towards a charged Higgs boson with a mass around 130$\,$GeV, consistent with the expectations from the $B$ anomalies, i.e.$~R_{D^{(*)}}$ and $b\to s\ell^+\ell^-$ data. As a non-minimal flavour structure is required for an explanation of these observables, this points towards a two-Higgs-doublet model with generic Yukawa couplings. Such a scenario predicts a sizable cross section for the pair production of the charged Higgs at the Large Hadron Collider, which can be tested by recasting SM di-Higgs searches. While the predicted event rate is even higher than the one of SM Higgs pair production, the smaller efficiency (w.r.t.$~$SM Higgs pair production) reduces the signal yield. Nonetheless, dedicated searches can probe most of the interesting parameter space and lead to a discovery with Run-3 or High-Luminosity LHC data.

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arXiv2025

Discriminating Tauphilic Leptoquark Explanations of the $B$ Anomalies via $K\to \pi\nu\bar\nu$ and $B\to K\nu\bar\nu$

Leptoquark models are prime candidates for new physics (NP) explanations of the long-standing anomalies in semi-leptonic $B$ decays; $b\to c \tau \bar\nu$ (encoded in $R(D^{(\ast)})$) and $b\to s\ell\bar\ell (\ell=e,\mu)$ transitions. Furthermore, Belle II and NA62 reported weaker-than-expected limits on $B^+ \to K^+ \nu\bar\nu$ and $K^+ \to \pi^+ \nu \bar\nu$, respectively. While the $R(D^{(\ast)})$ and $b\to s\ell \bar\ell$ measurements can be explained with NP contributions at the $O(10\%)$ level, the neutrino channels suggest that the NP effect could be comparable in size to the Standard Model one. In this context, we consider the two types of leptoquark models with minimal sets of the couplings that can best describe the semi-leptonic $B$ anomalies and lead at the same time to effects in the neutrino modes, the singlet-triplet scalar leptoquark model ($S_1+S_3$) and the singlet vector leptoquark model ($U_1$). More specifically, the neutrino channels pose non-trivial constraints on the parameter space, and we find that large effects (i.e., accounting for the current central value) in $B\to K^{(*)}\nu\bar\nu$ are only possible in the $S_1+S_3$ setup, while both models can account for the central value of $K^+\to \pi^+\nu\bar\nu$.

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arXiv2025

Baryon Number Violation: From Nuclear Matrix Elements to BSM Physics

Processes that violate baryon number, most notably proton decay and $n\bar n$ transitions, are promising probes of physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM) needed to understand the lack of antimatter in the Universe. To interpret current and forthcoming experimental limits, theory input from nuclear matrix elements to UV complete models enters. Thus, an interplay of experiment, effective field theory, lattice QCD, and BSM model building is required to develop strategies to accurately extract information from current and future data and maximize the impact and sensitivity of next-generation experiments. Here, we briefly summarize the main results and discussions from the workshop "INT-25-91W: Baryon Number Violation: From Nuclear Matrix Elements to BSM Physics," held at the Institute for Nuclear Theory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, January 13-17, 2025.

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arXiv2025

Reinterpretation and preservation of data and analyses in HEP

Data from particle physics experiments are unique and are often the result of a very large investment of resources. Given the potential scientific impact of these data, which goes far beyond the immediate priorities of the experimental collaborations that obtain them, it is imperative that the collaborations and the wider particle physics community publish and preserve sufficient information to ensure that this impact can be realised, now and into the future. The information to be published and preserved includes the algorithms, statistical information, simulations and the recorded data. This publication and preservation requires significant resources, and should be a strategic priority with commensurate planning and resource allocation from the earliest stages of future facilities and experiments.

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arXiv2025

Kaon Physics: A Cornerstone for Future Discoveries

The kaon physics programme, long heralded as a cutting-edge frontier by the European Strategy for Particle Physics, continues to stand at the intersection of discovery and innovation in high-energy physics (HEP). With its unparalleled capacity to explore new physics at the multi-TeV scale, kaon research is poised to unveil phenomena that could reshape our understanding of the Universe. This document highlights the compelling physics case, with emphasis on exciting new opportunities for advancing kaon physics not only in Europe but also on a global stage. As an important player in the future of HEP, the kaon programme promises to drive transformative breakthroughs, inviting exploration at the forefront of scientific discovery.

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arXiv2025

Emerging Excess Consistent with a Narrow Resonance at 152 GeV in High-Energy Proton-Proton Collisions

The Higgs boson discovery at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN confirmed the existence of the last missing particle of the Standard Model (SM). The existence of new fundamental constituents of matter beyond the SM is of great importance for our understanding of Nature. In this context, indirect (non-resonant) indications for new scalar bosons were found in the data from the first run of the LHC, taken between 2010 and 2012 at CERN: an excess in the invariant mass of muon-electron pairs, consistent with a new Higgs boson ($S$) with a mass of $150\pm5$ GeV. Other processes with multiple leptons in the final state, moderate missing energy, and possibly (bottom quark) jets exhibit deviations from the SM predictions. These anomalies can be explained within a simplified model in which a new heavy Higgs boson $H$ decays into two lighter Higgses $S$. This lighter Higgs $S$ subsequently decays to $W$ bosons, bottom quarks and has also an invisible decay mode. Here, we demonstrate that using this model we can identify narrow excesses in di-photon and $Z$-photon spectra around 152 GeV. By incorporating the latest measurements of di-photons in association with leptons, we obtain a combined global significance of $5.4\sigma$. This represents the highest significance ever reported for an excess consistent with a narrow resonance beyond the SM (BSM) in high-energy proton-proton collision data at the LHC. Such findings have the potential to usher in a new era in particle physics - the BSM epoch - offering crucial insights into unresolved puzzles of nature.

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arXiv2025

LHC Signatures of the Generic Georgi-Machacek Model

Vector-boson fusion production of new Higgs bosons decaying into pairs of electroweak gauge bosons ($W^\pm W^\pm$, $WZ$ and $ZZ$) is a smoking-gun signature of the Georgi-Machacek (GM) Model. Notably, ATLAS has observed a $3.3\sigma$ excess in $W^\pm W^\pm$ at $\approx 450\,$GeV and a $2.8\sigma$ excess in the $WZ$ channel at $\approx 375\,$GeV, while CMS reported weaker-than-expected limits at these masses. However, the canonical custodial-symmetric GM Model cannot accommodate these signals, as it predicts mass degeneracy among the new gauge-philic Higgs bosons. To overcome this obstacle, we consider a generalized version of the GM Model without the custodial $SU(2)_C$ symmetry in the scalar potential. In the limit of small mixing among the Higgs bosons, the $W^\pm W^\pm$ and $WZ$ excesses can be explained by the doubly and singly-charged Higgs bosons originating primarily from the $Y=1$ triplet, while respecting the bounds from $ZZ$ searches. Furthermore, the neutral Higgs boson mostly contained in the $Y=0$ triplet can account for the excess at $\approx 152\,$GeV in associated di-photon production, while being consistent with constraints from vacuum stability and the Standard Model Higgs signal strength measurements.

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