arXiv subjects

João P. Silva

Publications and source records attributed to João P. Silva.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Unitarity bounds for all symmetry-constrained 3HDMs

Models with three Higgs doublets (3HDM) are the source of much recent activity, for they are key components of many solutions to the problems of the Standard Model; from extra sources of CP violation to Dark Matter candidates. We compute explicitly the theoretical bounds for all symmetry-constrained 3HDM arising from the perturbative unitarity of two-to-two scattering amplitudes. In addition, we propose a method based on principal minors that foregoes diagonalization and which is preferable in all models (not only 3HDM) dealing with large scattering matrices.

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arXiv2021

Current bounds on the Type-Z $Z_3$ three Higgs doublet model

Type-Z models, where charged leptons, up type quarks, and down type quarks each couple to a different scalar, are only possible when there are three or more Higgs doublets. We consider the Type-Z three Higgs doublet model imposed by a softly broken $Z_3$ symmetry. We take into account all theoretical and experimental constraints, highlighting the importance of perturbative unitarity and bounded from below conditions that we develop here, and which have a strong impact on $B \rightarrow X_s γ$. Since there can be cancellations between the two charged Higgs in $B \rightarrow X_s γ$ (and in $h \rightarrow γγ$), the lower bounds obtained on the charged Higgs masses are alleviated. We also discuss in detail the important physical differences between exact alignment and approximate alignment, and present some useful benchmark points.

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arXiv2021

Leaks of CP violation in the real two-Higgs doublet model

We discuss the $Z_2$ symmetric two Higgs doublet model with a real soft breaking term (real 2HDM). We explain in detail why it is not tenable to assume CP conservation in the scalar sector to keep the dimension two term real, while CP is violated by the dimension four Yukawa couplings. We propose the calculation of the infinite tadpole of the (would-be) pseudoscalar neutral scalar. We construct a simple toy model with the same flaws, where the unrenormalizable infinity is easier to calculate. We then turn our attention to the same tadpole in the real 2HDM. We spearhead this effort focusing on diagrams involving solely bare quantities. This involves hundreds of Feynman three-loop diagrams that could feed the CP violation from the quark into the scalar sector, and is only possible with state of the art automatic computation tools. Remarkably, some intermediate results agree when using three independent derivations, including the peculiar cancellation of the leading pole divergence due to a subtle interplay between masses and the Jarlskog invariant, which we calculate analytically. The calculation is not complete however, since the full two-loop renormalization of the real 2HDM is not yet available in the literature. Still, we argue convincingly that there is an irremovable infinity.

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arXiv2021

Off diagonal charged scalar couplings with the Z boson: the Zee model as an example

Models with scalar doublets and charged scalar singlets have the interesting property that they have couplings between one $Z$ boson and two charged scalars of different masses. This property is often ignored in phenomenological analysis, as it is absent from models with only extra scalar doublets. We explore this issue in detail, considering $h \rightarrow Z γ$, $B \to X_s γ$, and the decay of a heavy charged scalar into a lighter one and a $Z$ boson. We propose that the latter be actively searched for at the LHC, using the scalar sector of the Zee model as a prototype and proposing benchmark points which obey all current experimental data and could be within reach of the LHC.

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arXiv2021

Symmetry and decoupling in multi Higgs models

We study the scalar sector of the most general multi Higgs doublet model satisfying explicitly an exact symmetry. We prove that such a model will exhibit decoupling if and only if the vacuum also satisfies the same symmetry. This general property is also shown independently and explicitly for three Higgs doublet models, by considering in detail all symmetry-constrained models and their possible vacua. We also discuss some specific characteristics of different decoupling patterns.

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arXiv2020

A fully basis invariant Symmetry Map of the 2HDM

We derive necessary and sufficient conditions for all global symmetries of the most general two Higgs doublet model (2HDM) scalar potential entirely in terms of reparametrization independent, i.e. basis invariant, objects. This culminates in what we call a "Symmetry Map" of the parameter space of the model and the fundamental insight that there are, in general, two algebraically distinct ways of how symmetries manifest themselves on basis invariant objects: either, basis invariant objects can be non-trivially related, or, basis covariant objects can vanish. These two options have different consequences on the resulting structure of the ring of basis invariants and on the number of remaining physical parameters. Alongside, we derive for the first time necessary and sufficient conditions for CP conservation in the 2HDM entirely in terms of CP-even quantities. This study lays the methodological foundation for analogous investigations of global symmetries in all other models that have unphysical freedom of reparametrization, most notably the Standard Model flavor sector.

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arXiv2018

CP violation in 2HDM and EFT: the ZZZ vertex

We study the CP violating ZZZ vertex in the two-Higgs doublet model, which is a probe of a Jarlskog-type invariant in the extended Higgs sector. The form factor $f_4^Z$ is evaluated at one loop in a general $R_ξ$ gauge and its magnitude is estimated in the realistic parameter space. Then we turn to the decoupling limit of the two-Higgs doublet model, where the extra scalars are heavy and the physics can be described by the Standard Model supplemented by higher-dimensional operators. The leading operator contributing to $f_4^Z$ at one loop is identified. The CP violating ZZZ vertex is not generated in the effective theory by dimension-8 operators, but instead arises only at the dimension-12 level, which implies an additional suppression by powers of the heavy Higgs mass scale.

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arXiv2017

The C2HDM revisited

The complex two-Higgs doublet model is one of the simplest ways to extend the scalar sector of the Standard Model to include a new source of CP-violation. The model has been used as a benchmark model to search for CP-violation at the LHC and as a possible explanation for the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe. In this work, we re-analyse in full detail the softly broken $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetric complex two-Higgs doublet model (C2HDM). We provide the code C2HDM_HDECAY implementing the C2HDM in the well-known HDECAY program which calculates the decay widths including the state-of-the-art higher order QCD corrections and the relevant off-shell decays. Using C2HDM_HDECAY together with the most relevant theoretical and experimental constraints, including electric dipole moments (EDMs), we review the parameter space of the model and discuss its phenomenology. In particular, we find cases where large CP-odd couplings to fermions are still allowed and provide benchmark points for these scenarios. We examine the prospects of discovering CP-violation at the LHC and show how theoretically motivated measures of CP-violation correlate with observables.

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arXiv2017

Multi-Higgs doublet models: physical parametrization, sum rules and unitarity bounds

If the scalar sector of the Standard Model is non-minimal, one might expect multiple generations of the hypercharge-1/2 scalar doublet analogous to the generational structure of the fermions. In this work, we examine the structure of a Higgs sector consisting of N Higgs doublets (where N \geq 2). It is particularly convenient to work in the so-called charged Higgs basis, in which the neutral Higgs vacuum expectation value resides entirely in the first Higgs doublet, and the charged components of remaining N-1 Higgs doublets are mass-eigenstate fields. We elucidate the interactions of the gauge bosons with the physical Higgs scalars and the Goldstone bosons and show that they are determined by an Nx2N matrix. This matrix depends on (N-1)(2N-1) real parameters that are associated with the mixing of the neutral Higgs fields in the charged Higgs basis. Among these parameters, N-1 are unphysical (and can be removed by rephasing the physical charged Higgs fields), and the remaining 2(N-1)^2 parameters are physical. We also demonstrate a particularly simple form for the cubic interaction and some of the quartic interactions of the Goldstone bosons with the physical Higgs scalars. These results are applied in the derivation of Higgs coupling sum rules and tree-level unitarity bounds that restrict the size of the quartic scalar couplings. In particular, new applications to three Higgs doublet models with an order-4 CP symmetry and with a Z_3 symmetry, respectively, are presented.

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arXiv2016

Higgs EFT for 2HDM and beyond

We discuss the validity of the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SM EFT) as the low-energy effective theory for the two-Higgs-doublet Model (2HDM). Using the up-to-date Higgs signal strength measurements at the LHC, one can obtain a likelihood function for the Wilson coefficients of dimension-6 operators in the EFT Lagrangian. Given the matching between the 2HDM and the EFT, the constraints on the Wilson coefficients can be translated into constraints on the parameters of the 2HDM Lagrangian. We discuss under which conditions such a procedure correctly reproduces the true limits on the 2HDM. Finally, we employ the SM EFT to identify the pattern of the Higgs boson couplings that are needed to improve the fit to the current Higgs data. To this end, one needs, simultaneously, to increase the top Yukawa coupling, decrease the bottom Yukawa coupling, and induce a new contact interaction of the Higgs boson with gluons. We comment on how these modifications can be realized in the 2HDM extended by new colored particles.

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arXiv2016

Constraining wrong-sign $hbb$ couplings with $h \rightarrow Υγ$

The rare decay $h \rightarrow Υγ$ has a very small rate in the Standard Model, due to a strong cancellation between the direct and indirect diagrams. Models with a changed $hbb$ coupling can thus lead to a great increase in this decay. Current limits on two Higgs doublet models still allow for the possibility that the $hbb$ coupling might have a sign opposite to the Standard Model; the so-called "wrong-sign". We show how $h \rightarrow Υγ$ can be used to put limits on the wrong-sign solutions.

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arXiv2016

Two Higgs doublet models with an $S_3$ symmetry

We study all implementations of the $S_3$ symmetry in the two Higgs doublet model with quarks, consistent with non-zero quark masses and a Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix which is not block diagonal. We study the impact of the various soft-breaking terms and vacuum expectation values, and find an interesting relation between $α$ and $β$. We also show that, in this minimal setting, only two types of assignments are possible: either all field sectors are in singlets or all field sectors have a doublet.

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arXiv2015

Undoubtable signs of CP-violation in Higgs decays at the LHC run 2

With the discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider the high energy physics community's attention has now turned to understanding the properties of the Higgs boson, together with the hope of finding more scalars during run 2. In this work we discuss scenarios where using a combination of three decays, involving the 125 GeV Higgs boson, the Z boson and at least one more scalar, an indisputable signal of CP-violation arises. We use a complex two-Higgs doublet model as a reference model and present some benchmark points that have passed all current experimental and theoretical constraints, and that have cross sections large enough to be probed during run 2.

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arXiv2015

Large pseudo-scalar components in the C2HDM

We discuss the CP nature of the Yukawa couplings of the Higgs boson in the framework of a complex two Higgs doublet model (C2HDM). After analysing all data gathered during the Large Hadron Collider run 1, the measurement of the Higgs couplings to the remaining SM particles already restricts the parameter space of many extensions of the SM. However, there is still room for very large CP-odd Yukawa couplings to light quarks and leptons while the top-quark Yukawa coupling is already very constrained by current data. Although indirect measurements of electric dipole moments play a very important role in constraining the pseudo-scalar components of the Yukawa couplings, we argue that a direct measurement of the ratio of pseudoscalar to scalar couplings should be one of the top priorities for the LHC run 2.

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arXiv2015

Large pseudoscalar Yukawa couplings in the complex 2HDM

We start by presenting the current status of a complex flavour conserving two-Higgs doublet model. We will focus on some very interesting scenarios where unexpectedly the light Higgs couplings to leptons and to b-quarks can have a large pseudoscalar component with a vanishing scalar component. Predictions for the allowed parameter space at end of the next run with a total collected luminosity of $300 \, fb^{-1}$ and $3000 \, fb^{-1}$ are also discussed. These scenarios are not excluded by present data and most probably will survive the next LHC run. However, a measurement of the mixing angle $ϕ_τ$, between the scalar and pseudoscalar component of the 125 GeV Higgs, in the decay $h \to τ^+ τ^-$ will be able to probe many of these scenarios, even with low luminosity. Similarly, a measurement of $ϕ_t$ in the vertex $\bar t t h$ could help to constrain the low $\tan β$ region in the Type I model.

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arXiv2014

$h \rightarrow Z γ$ in the complex two Higgs doublet model

The latest LHC data confirmed the existence of a Higgs-like particle and made interesting measurements on its decays into $γγ$, $Z Z^\ast$, $W W^\ast$, $τ^+ τ^-$, and $b \bar{b}$. It is expected that a decay into $Z γ$ might be measured at the next LHC round, for which there already exists an upper bound. The Higgs-like particle could be a mixture of scalar with a relatively large component of pseudoscalar. We compute the decay of such a mixed state into $Z γ$, and we study its properties in the context of the complex two Higgs doublet model, analysing the effect of the current measurements on the four versions of this model. We show that a measurement of the $h \rightarrow Z γ$ rate at a level consistent with the SM can be used to place interesting constraints on the pseudoscalar component. We also comment on the issue of a wrong sign Yukawa coupling for the bottom in Type II models.

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arXiv2014

A reappraisal of the wrong-sign $hb\overline{b}$ coupling and the study of $h \rightarrow Z γ$

It has been pointed out recently that current experiments still allow for a two Higgs doublet model where the $h b \bar{b}$ coupling ($k_D m_b/v$) is negative; a sign opposite to that of the Standard Model. Due to the importance of delayed decoupling in the $h H^+ H^-$ coupling, $h \rightarrow γγ$ improved measurements will have a strong impact on this issue. For the same reason, measurements or even bounds on $h \rightarrow Z γ$ are potentially interesting. In this article, we revisit this problem, highlighting the crucial importance of $h \rightarrow VV$, which can be understood with simple arguments. We show that the impacts on $k_D<0$ models of both $h \rightarrow b \bar{b}$ and $h \rightarrow τ^+ τ^-$ are very sensitive to input values for the gluon fusion production mechanism; in contrast, $h \rightarrow γγ$ and $h \rightarrow Z γ$ are not. We also inquire if the search for $h \rightarrow Z γ$ and its interplay with $h \rightarrow γγ$ will impact the sign of the $h b \bar{b}$ coupling. Finally, we study these issues in the context of the Flipped two Higgs doublet model.

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arXiv2013

2HDM confronting LHC data

Almost all data collected at the LHC during the 7 and 8 TeV runs has now been analysed by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations. Its consistency with the Standard Model (SM) predictions has cornered the CP-conserving two-Higgs doublet model (2HDM) into the SM limit, sin (β-α) = 1. However, there are still allowed regions of the 2HDM parameter space away from this limit. In this work we discuss how the 2HDM is performing in view of the LHC data together with the remaining available experimental and theoretical constraints.

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