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Marc Sher

Publications and source records attributed to Marc Sher.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

The Dark Z and Charged Higgs Decay

If there is an additional U(1) symmetry under which Standard Model particles are singlets, then there can be mixing between the additional gauge boson and the hypercharge gauge boson. This can lead to a very light, but weakly coupled "dark" gauge boson, the $Z_d$, with a mass of O(1) GeV. If the $Z_d$ gets its mass entirely from a Higgs singlet, it is called a dark photon; whereas if there is a second Higgs doublet, it is called a dark Z. We look at charged Higgs boson decays in the dark Z model. If the charged Higgs mass is between 90 GeV and 170 GeV, then its dominant two-body decays are $H^+ \rightarrow τ ν $ and $H^+ \rightarrow W^+ Z_d$. The former is suppressed by the small tau mass-squared and by $1/\tan^2 β$, whereas the latter is suppressed by a loop and a small mixing. We find that for much of the allowed parameter-space $H^+ \rightarrow W^+ Z_d$ will dominate. Since $Z_d$ decays to a lepton pair much of the time, this leads (using Drell-Yan pair production) to $pp \rightarrow H^+H^- \rightarrow W^+ W^-$ plus two highly collimated "lepton jets". Current bounds on lepton jets from ATLAS come close to constraining some of parameter space, and a dedicated search using the 2012 data would substantially improve the coverage.

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The Next-to-Minimal Two Higgs Doublet Model

The simplest extension of the Two Higgs Doublet Model is the addition of a real scalar singlet, S. The effects of mixing between the singlet and the doublets can be manifested in two ways. It can modify the couplings of the 126 GeV Higgs boson, h, and it can lead to direct detection of the heavy Higgs at the LHC. In this paper, we show that in the type-I model, for heavy Higgs masses in the 200-600 GeV range, the latter effect will be detected earlier than the former for most of parameter space. Should no such Higgs be discovered in this mass range, then the upper limit on the mixing will be sufficiently strong such that there will be no significant effects on the couplings of the h for most of parameter space. The reverse is true in the type-II model, the limits from measurements of the couplings of the h will dominate over the limits from non-observation of the heavy Higgs.

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LHC Constraints on the Lee-Wick Higgs Sector

We determine constraints on the Lee-Wick Higgs sector obtained from the full LHC Higgs boson data set. We determine the current lower bound on the heavy neutral Lee-Wick scalar, as well as projected bounds at a 14 TeV LHC with 300 and 3000 inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity. We point out that the first sign of new physics in this model may be the observation of a deviation from standard model expectations of the lighter neutral Higgs signal strengths corresponding to production via gluon-gluon fusion and decay to either tau or $Z$ pairs. The signal strength of the latter is greater than the standard model expectation, unlike most extensions of the standard model.

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Charged Higgs Discovery in the W plus "Dark" Vector Boson Decay Mode

In Two Higgs doublet extensions of the Standard Model, flavor-changing neutral current constraints can be addressed by introducing a U(1)' gauge symmetry, under which the Higgs doublets carry different charges. That scenario implies the presence of a H^\pm W^\mp Z' vertex at tree level. For the light "dark" Z model (Z'=Z_d) with m_{Z_d} < 10 GeV, such a coupling leads to the dominant decay mode H^\pm \to W^\pm + Z_d (for m_{H^\pm} \lsim 175 GeV), rather than the usual type I model decay H^\pm \to τ^\pm ν, for a broad range of parameters. We find that current analyses do not place significant bounds on this scenario. Over much of the parameter space considered, the decay of a pair-produced t ({\bar t}) into H^+ b (H^- {\bar b}) provides the dominant H^\pm production. Analysis of available LHC data can likely cover significant ranges of our parameters, if Z_d \to μ^+μ^- has a branching ratio of \sim 20%. If the Z_d decays mainly invisibly then probing the entire relevant parameter space would likely require additional data from future LHC runs. We briefly discuss the phenomenology for m_{H^\pm}\gsim 175 GeV.

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Heavy Higgs Searches and Constraints on Two Higgs Doublet Models

Since the discovery of a Higgs boson at the LHC and the measurement of many of its branching ratios, there have been numerous studies exploring the restrictions these results place on the parameter space of two Higgs doublet models. We extend these results to include the full data set and study the expected sensitivity that can be obtained with 300 and 3000 inverse femptobarn of integrated luminosity. We consider searches for a heavy Standard Model Higgs boson, with a mass ranging from 200 to 400 GeV, and show that the non-observation of such a Higgs boson can substantially narrow the allowed regions of parameter space in two Higgs doublet models.

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Dark Two Higgs Doublet Model

We perform a detailed study of a specific Two Higgs Doublet Model (2HDM) with a U(1) gauge symmetry, instead of a typical Z2 discrete symmetry, containing a very light gauge boson Z' (GeV scale or below). The Standard Model (SM) fermions do not carry U(1) charges, but induced couplings to the Z' (called the dark Z) are generated through mixing with the SM neutral gauge bosons. Such a light Z' could explain some astrophysical anomalies as well as the muon g-2 deviation, and has been the subject of great experimental interest. We consider the scenario in which the 125 GeV SM-like Higgs (H) is the heavier scalar state, and focus on the lighter neutral state (h) as well as charged Higgs. We analyze the constraints on the model from various experiments and predict novel channels to search for these Higgs scalars at the LHC. In particular, experiments looking for lepton-jets are among potentially important searches.

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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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2HDM at the LHC - the story so far

We confront the most common version of the CP-conserving 2HDM with LHC data, taking into account all previously available experimental data. We also discuss the scenario where the 125 GeV Higgs discovered at the LHC is the lightest neutral scalar of a particular CP-violating 2HDM. In this scenario we focus on what data can already tell us about the amount of mixing between CP-even and CP-odd states.

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Review of prospects for H^+ in non-SUSY multi-Higgs models in view of LHC results

In this talk, prospects for the charged Higgs in non-SUSY models are reviewed, in view of LHC results (as of October, 2012). The four models (Type I, Type II, lepton-specific and flipped) without tree level flavor-changing neutral currents are discussed. Updates for the case in which the charged Higgs is lighter than the top, leading to production in top decays, are presented along with expectations for the future. If the charged Higgs is heavier than the top quark, detection may be possible through the tau-nu decay mode. In addition, it is pointed out that the decay of the charged Higgs into W h, where h is the 125 GeV state, may be dominant. Charged Higgs phenomenology in models which do contain tree level flavor-changing neutral currents, as well as the inert doublet model and others, are also briefly reviewed.

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Could the LHC two-photon signal correspond to the heavier scalar in two-Higgs-doublet models?

LHC has reported tantalizing hints for a Higgs boson of mass 125 GeV decaying into two photons. We focus on two-Higgs-doublet Models, and study the interesting possibility that the heavier scalar (H) has been seen, with the lightest scalar (h) having thus far escaped detection. Non-observation of h at LEP severely constrains the parameter-space of two-Higgs-doublet models. We analyze cases where the decay H --> h h is kinematically allowed, and cases where it is not, in the context of type I, type II, lepton-specific, and flipped models.

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Theory and phenomenology of two-Higgs-doublet models

We discuss theoretical and phenomenological aspects of two-Higgs-doublet extensions of the Standard Model. In general, these extensions have scalar mediated flavour changing neutral currents which are strongly constrained by experiment. Various strategies are discussed to control these flavour changing scalar currents and their phenomenological consequences are analysed. In particular, scenarios with natural flavour conservation are investigated, including the so-called type I and type II models as well as lepton-specific and inert models. Type III models are then discussed, where scalar flavour changing neutral currents are present at tree level, but are suppressed by either specific ansatze for the Yukawa couplings or by the introduction of family symmetries. We also consider the phenomenology of charged scalars in these models. Next we turn to the role of symmetries in the scalar sector. We discuss the six symmetry-constrained scalar potentials and their extension into the fermion sector. The vacuum structure of the scalar potential is analysed, including a study of the vacuum stability conditions on the potential and its renormalization-group improvement. The stability of the tree level minimum of the scalar potential in connection with electric charge conservation and its behaviour under CP is analysed. The question of CP violation is addressed in detail, including the cases of explicit CP violation and spontaneous CP violation. We present a detailed study of weak basis invariants which are odd under CP. A careful study of spontaneous CP violation is presented, including an analysis of the conditions which have to be satisfied in order for a vacuum to violate CP. We present minimal models of CP violation where the vacuum phase is sufficient to generate a complex CKM matrix, which is at present a requirement for any realistic model of spontaneous CP violation.

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Implications of the LHC two-photon signal for two-Higgs-doublet models

We study the implications for Two Higgs Doublet Models of the recent announcement at the LHC giving a tantalizing hint for a Higgs boson of mass 125 GeV decaying into two photons. We require that the experimental result be within a factor of two of the theoretical Standard Model prediction, and analyze the type I and type II models as well as the lepton-specific and flipped models, subject to this requirement. It is assumed that there is no new physics other than two Higgs doublets. In all of the models, we display the allowed region of parameter space taking the recent LHC announcement at face value, and we analyze the $W^+W^-$, $ZZ$, $\bar{b}b$ and $τ^+τ^-$ expectations in these allowed regions. Throughout the entire range of parameter space allowed by the $γγ$ constraint, the number of events for Higgs decays into $WW$, $ZZ$ and $b \bar b$ are not changed from the Standard Model by more than a factor of two. In contrast, in the Lepton Specific model, decays to $τ^+ τ^- $ are very sensitive across the entire $γγ$-allowed region.

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Astrophysical Consequences of a Neutrinophilic Two-Higgs-Doublet Model

In a recently proposed neutrinophilic two-Higgs doublet model, the low-energy (sub-MeV) effective theory consists of a real scalar with a vev of O(0.1) eV and three Dirac neutrinos. Other models could lead to the same low energy theory. In this Brief Report, we study constraints on the parameter space of the model, including vacuum stability, unitarity, perturbativity and the effects on the invisible Z width. Interestingly, we find that all neutrinos become massless at temperatures above approximately 1000 K, but can find no phenomenological effects of this finding. The most direct test of the model is that it predicts that in a galactic supernova, the energy distributions of the electron, muon and tau neutrinos will be Fermi-Dirac with identical temperatures, unlike the conventional distributions.

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A Slant on Warped Extra Dimensions

We propose an orbifolded, warped, extra dimension scenario in which the visible brane is not parallel to the hidden brane. This leads automatically to Lorentz violation in the visible, four dimensional world. The background solution to the Einstein equations is a function of a parameter that can be identified with the amount of 'tilting' of the brane. The cosmological constant is found to coincide with the classic Randall-Sundrum value to first order in this tilt. Lorentz violating effects induced in the Standard Model are considered. We find that the strongest constraint on the tilt comes from determinations of the electron-proton mass ratio in six quasar spectra (four optical and two radio). Measurements of a third radio source could improve this by an order of magnitude.

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The Supersymmetric Leptophilic Higgs Model

In the leptophilic model, one Higgs doublet couples to quarks and another couples to leptons. We study the supersymmetric version of this model, concentrating on the tightly constrained Higgs sector, which has four doublets. Constraints from perturbativity, unitarity, and LEP bounds are considered. It is found that the lightest Higgs, h, can have a mass well below 114 GeV, and for masses below 100 GeV will have a substantially enhanced branching ratio into tau pairs. For this region of parameter space, traditional production mechanisms (Higgs-strahlung, W fusion and gluon fusion) are suppressed, but it may be produced in the decay of heavier particles. The second lightest Higgs has a mass of approximately 110 GeV for virtually all of parameter space, with Standard Model couplings, and thus an increase of a few GeV in the current lower bound on the Standard Model Higgs mass would rule out the model. The two heavier Higgs are both gauge-phobic, one decays almost entirely into b pairs and can be produced via gluon fusion while the other decays almost entirely into tau pairs but can't be easily produced.

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A Supersymmetric Model with Dirac Neutrino Masses

New models have recently been proposed in which a second Higgs doublet couples only to the lepton doublets and right-handed neutrinos, yielding Dirac neutrino masses. The vacuum value of this second "nu-Higgs" doublet is made very small by means of a very softly-broken $Z_2$ or U(1) symmetry. The latter is technically natural and avoids fine-tuning and very light scalars. We consider a supersymmetric version of this model, in which two additional doublets are added to the MSSM. If kinematically allowed, the decay of the heavy MSSM scalar into charged nu-Higgs scalars will yield dilepton events which can be separated from the W-pair background. In addition, the nu-Higgsinos can lead to very dramatic tetralepton, pentalepton and hexalepton events which have negligible background and can be detected at the LHC and the Tevatron.

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Mu-Tau Production at Hadron Colliders

Motivated by large nu_mu-nu_tau flavor mixing, we consider mu-tau production at hadron colliders via dimension-6 effective operators, which can be attributed to new physics in the flavor sector at a higher scale Lambda. Current bounds on many of these operators from low energy experiments are very weak or nonexistent, and they may lead to clean mu+tau- and mu-tau+ signals at hadron colliders. At the Tevatron with 8 inverse femtobarns, one can exceed current bounds for most operators, with most 2 sigma sensitivities being in the 6-24 TeV range. We find that at the LHC with 1 (100) inverse femtobarns integrated luminosity, one can reach a 2 sigma sensitivity for Lambda \sim 3-10 TeV (Lambda =\sim 6-21 TeV), depending on the Lorentz structure of the operator. For some operators, an improvement of several orders of magnitude in sensitivity can be obtained with only a few tens of inverse picobarns at the LHC.

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Fourth Generation t-prime in Extensions of the Standard Model

We study the effects of a fourth generation t-prime quark in various extensions of the standard model. In the Randall-Sundrum model, the decay t-prime -> t Z has a large branching ratio that could be detected at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). We also look at the two-Higgs doublet models I, II and III, and note that, in the latter, the branching ratio of t-prime -> t H, where H is a Higgs scalar or pseudoscalar, is huge and we discuss detection at the LHC.

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