arXiv subjects

Margarete Muhlleitner

Publications and source records attributed to Margarete Muhlleitner.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Benchmarking Di-Higgs Production in Various Extended Higgs Sector Models

We present a comprehensive study on Higgs pair production in various archetypical extended Higgs sectors such as the real and the complex 2-Higgs-Doublet Model, the 2-Higgs-Doublet Model augmented by a real singlet field and the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model. We take into account all relevant theoretical and experimental constraints, in particular the experimental limits on non-resonant and resonant Higgs pair production. We present the allowed cross sections for Standard Model (SM)-like Higgs pair production and the ranges of the SM-like Yukawa and trilinear Higgs self-coupling that are still compatible with the applied constraints. Furthermore, we give results for the pair production of a SM-like with a non-SM-like Higgs boson and for the production of a pair of non-SM-like Higgs bosons. We find that di-Higgs production in the models under investigation can exceed the SM rate substantially, not only in the non-resonance region but also due to resonant enhancement. We give several benchmarks with interesting features such as large cross sections, the possibility to test CP violation, Higgs-to-Higgs cascade decays or di-Higgs production beating single Higgs production. In all of our benchmark points, the next-to-leading order QCD corrections are included in the large top-mass limit. For these points, we found that, depending on the model and the Higgs pair final state, the corrections increase the leading order cross section by a factor of 1.79 to 2.24. We also discuss the relation between the description of Higgs pair production in an effective field theory approach and in the specific models investigated here.

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arXiv2021

Precision Predictions for Charged Higgs Boson Decays in the Real and Complex NMSSM

We present the full next-to-leading order (NLO) supersymmetric (SUSY) electroweak and SUSY-QCD corrections to the decay widths of the charged Higgs boson decays into on-shell final states in the framework of the CP-conserving and CP-violating Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Model (NMSSM). The newly calculated corrections have been implemented in the code NMSSMCALCEW. In these proceedings, we discuss the impact of the NLO corrections on the charged Higgs boson branching ratios in a wide range of the parameter space that is still compatible with the experimental constraints. We also investigate the effect of CP violation in these corrections.

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arXiv2021

One-loop Corrections to the Higgs Boson Invisible Decay in the Dark Doublet Phase of the N2HDM

The Higgs invisible decay width may soon become a powerful tool to probe extensions of the Standard Model with dark matter candidates at the Large Hadron Collider. In this work, we calculate the next-to-leading order (NLO) electroweak corrections to the 125 GeV Higgs decay width into two dark matter particles. The model is the next-to-minimal 2-Higgs-doublet model (N2HDM) in the dark doublet phase, that is, only one doublet and the singlet acquire vacuum expectation values. We show that the present measurement of the Higgs invisible branching ratio, BR$(H \to$ invisible $< 0.11$), does not lead to constraints on the parameter space of the model at leading order. This is due to the very precise measurements of the Higgs couplings but could change in the near future. Furthermore, if NLO corrections are required not to be unphysically large, no limits on the parameter space can be extracted from the NLO results.

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arXiv2020

One-loop Corrections to the Two-Body Decays of the Charged Higgs Bosons in the Real and Complex NMSSM

We evaluate the full next-to-leading order supersymmetric (SUSY) electroweak and SUSY-QCD corrections to the on-shell two-body decays of the charged Higgs bosons in the framework of the CP-conserving and CP-violating Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (NMSSM). Our corrections are implemented in the code NMSSMCALCEW in order to compute the branching ratios of the charged Higgs boson where we also take into account the state-of-the-art QCD corrections already included in the code. We investigate the impact of the NLO corrections for each decay mode in a wide range of the parameter space that is allowed by the theoretical and experimental constraints. The new version of NMSSMCALCEW is made publicly available.

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arXiv2019

The N2HDM under Theoretical and Experimental Scrutiny

The N2HDM is based on the CP-conserving 2HDM extended by a real scalar singlet field. Its enlarged parameter space and its fewer symmetry conditions as compared to supersymmetric models allow for an interesting phenomenology compatible with current experimental constraints, while adding to the 2HDM sector the possibility of Higgs-to-Higgs decays with three different Higgs bosons. In this paper the N2HDM is subjected to detailed scrutiny. Regarding the theoretical constraints we implement tests of tree-level perturbativity and vacuum stability. Moreover, we present, for the first time, a thorough analysis of the global minimum of the N2HDM. The model and the theoretical constraints have been implemented in ScannerS, and we provide N2HDECAY, a code based on HDECAY, for the computation of the N2HDM branching ratios and total widths including the state-of-the-art higher order QCD corrections and off-shell decays. We then perform an extensive parameter scan in the N2HDM parameter space, with all theoretical and experimental constraints applied, and analyse its allowed regions. We find that large singlet admixtures are still compatible with the Higgs data and investigate which observables will allow to restrict the singlet nature most effectively in the next runs of the LHC. Similarly to the 2HDM, the N2HDM exhibits a wrong-sign parameter regime, which will be constrained by future Higgs precision measurements.

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arXiv2019

One-Loop Corrections to the Two-Body Decays of the Neutral Higgs Bosons in the Complex NMSSM

Since no direct signs of new physics have been observed so far indirect searches in the Higgs sector have become increasingly important. With the discovered Higgs boson behaving very Standard Model (SM)-like, however, indirect new physics manifestations are in general expected to be small. On the theory side, this makes precision predictions for the Higgs parameters and observables indispensable. In this paper, we provide in the framework of the CP-violating Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric extension of the SM (NMSSM) the complete next-to-leading order (SUSY-)electroweak corrections to the neutralHiggs boson decays that are on-shell and non-loop induced. Together with the also provided SUSY-QCD corrections to colored final states, they are implemented in the Fortran code NMSSMCALC which already includes the state-of-the art QCD corrections. The new code is called NMSSMCALCEW. This way we provide the NMSSM Higgs boson decays and branching ratios at presently highest possible precision and thereby contribute to the endeavor of searching for New Physics at present and future colliders.

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arXiv2019

2HDECAY - A program for the Calculation of Electroweak One-Loop Corrections to Higgs Decays in the Two-Higgs-Doublet Model Including State-of-the-Art QCD Corrections

We present the program package 2HDECAY for the calculation of the partial decay widths and branching ratios of the Higgs bosons of a general CP-conserving 2-Higgs doublet model (2HDM). The tool includes the full electroweak one-loop corrections to all two-body on-shell Higgs decays in the 2HDM that are not loop-induced. It combines them with the state-of-the-art QCD corrections that are already implemented in the program HDECAY. For the renormalization of the electroweak sector an on-shell scheme is implemented for most of the renormalization parameters. Exceptions are the soft-$\mathbb{Z}_2$-breaking squared mass scale $m_{12}^2$, where an $\overline{\text{MS}}$ condition is applied, as well as the 2HDM mixing angles $α$ and $β$, for which several distinct renormalization schemes are implemented. The tool 2HDECAY can be used for phenomenological analyses of the branching ratios of Higgs decays in the 2HDM. Furthermore, the separate output of the electroweak contributions to the tree-level partial decay widths for several different renormalization schemes allows for an efficient analysis of the impact of the electroweak corrections and the remaining theoretical error due to missing higher-order corrections. The latest version of the program package 2HDECAY can be downloaded from the URL https://github.com/marcel-krause/2HDECAY .

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arXiv2018

BSMPT - Beyond the Standard Model Phase Transitions -A Tool for the Electroweak Phase Transition in Extended Higgs Sectors

We provide the C++ tool BSMPT for calculating the strength of the electroweak phase transition in extended Higgs sectors. This relies on the loop-corrected effective potential at finite temperature including daisy resummation of the bosonic masses. The program allows to compute the vacuum expectation value (VEV) $v$ of the potential as a function of the temperature, and in particular the critical VEV $v_c$ at the temperature $T_c$ where the phase transition takes place. In addition, the loop-corrected trilinear Higgs self-couplings are provided. We apply an 'on-shell' renormalization scheme in the sense that the loop-corrected masses and mixing angles are required to be equal to their tree-level input values. This allows for efficient scans in the parameter space of the models. The models implemented so far are the CP-conserving and the CP-violating 2-Higgs-Doublet Models (2HDM) and the Next-to-Minimal 2HDM (N2HDM). The program structure is such that the user can easily implement further models. Our tool can be used for the investigation of electroweak baryogenesis in models with extended Higgs sectors and the related Higgs self-couplings. The combination with parameter scans in the respective models allows to study the impact on collider phenomenology and to make a link between collider phenomenology and cosmology. The program package can be downloaded at: https://github.com/phbasler/BSMPT.

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arXiv2018

Algorithmic Boundedness-From-Below Conditions for Generic Scalar Potentials

Checking that a scalar potential is bounded from below (BFB) is an ubiquitous and notoriously difficult task in many models with extended scalar sectors. Exact analytic BFB conditions are known only in simple cases. In this work, we present a novel approach to algorithmically establish the BFB conditions for any polynomial scalar potential. The method relies on elements of multivariate algebra, in particular, on resultants and on the spectral theory of tensors, which is being developed by the mathematical community. We give first a pedagogical introduction to this approach, illustrate it with elementary examples, and then present the working Mathematica implementation publicly available at GitHub. Due to the rapidly increasing complexity of the problem, we have not yet produced ready-to-use analytical BFB conditions for new multi-scalar cases. But we are confident that the present implementation can be dramatically improved and may eventually lead to such results.

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arXiv2017

Gauge-independent Renormalization of the N2HDM

The Next-to-Minimal 2-Higgs-Doublet Model (N2HDM) is an interesting benchmark model for a Higgs sector consisting of two complex doublet and one real singlet fields. Like the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric extension (NMSSM) it features light Higgs bosons that could have escaped discovery due to their singlet admixture. Thereby, the model allows for various different Higgs-to-Higgs decay modes. Contrary to the NMSSM, however, the model is not subject to supersymmetric relations restraining its allowed parameter space and its phenomenology. For the correct determination of the allowed parameter space, the correct interpretation of the LHC Higgs data and the possible distinction of beyond-the-Standard Model Higgs sectors higher order corrections to the Higgs boson observables are crucial. This requires not only their computation but also the development of a suitable renormalization scheme. In this paper we have worked out the renormalization of the complete N2HDM and provide a scheme for the gauge-independent renormalization of the mixing angles. We discuss the renormalization of the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ soft breaking parameter $m_{12}^2$ and the singlet vacuum expectation value $v_S$. Both enter the Higgs self-couplings relevant for Higgs-to-Higgs decays. We apply our renormalization scheme to different sample processes such as Higgs decays into $Z$ bosons and decays into a lighter Higgs pair. Our results show that the corrections may be sizeable and have to be taken into account for reliable predictions.

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arXiv2016

2HDM Higgs-to-Higgs Decays at Next-to-Leading Order

The detailed investigation of the Higgs sector at present and future colliders necessitates from the theory side as precise predictions as possible, including higher order corrections. An important ingredient for the computation of higher order corrections is the renormalization of the model parameters and fields. In this paper we complete the renormalization of the 2-Higgs-Doublet Model (2HDM) Higgs sector launched in a previous contribution with the investigation of the renormalization of the mixing angles $α$ and $β$. Here, we treat the renormalization of the mass parameter $m_{12}^2$ that softly breaks the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry of the 2HDM Higgs sector. We investigate the impact of two different renormalization schemes on the sample Higgs-to-Higgs decay $H\to hh$. This decay also allows us to analyze the renormalization of the mixing angles and to confirm the properties extracted before in other Higgs decays. In conclusion we find that a gauge-independent, process-independent and numerically stable renormalization of the 2HDM Higgs sector is given by the application of the tadpole-pinched scheme for the mixing angles $α$ and $β$ and by the use of the $\overline{MS}$ scheme for $m_{12}^2$.

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arXiv2016

Gauge-independent Renormalization of the 2-Higgs-Doublet Model

The 2-Higgs-Doublet Model (2HDM) belongs to the simplest extensions of the Standard Model (SM) Higgs sector that are in accordance with theoretical and experimental constraints. In order to be able to properly investigate the experimental Higgs data and, in the long term to distinguish between possible models beyond the SM, precise predictions for the Higgs boson observables have to be made available on the theory side. This requires the inclusion of the higher order corrections. In this work, we investigate in detail the renormalization of the 2HDM, a pre-requisite for the computation of higher order corrections. We pay particular attention to the renormalization of the mixing angles $α$ and $β$, which diagonalize the Higgs mass matrices and which enter all Higgs observables. The implications of various renormalization schemes in next-to-leading order corrections to the sample processes $H^\pm \to W^\pm h/H$ and $H \to ZZ$ are investigated. Based on our findings, we will present a renormalization scheme that is at the same time process independent, gauge independent and numerically stable.

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arXiv2016

Signs of Composite Higgs Pair Production at Next-to-Leading Order

In composite Higgs models the Higgs boson arises as a pseudo-Goldstone boson from a strongly-interacting sector. Fermion mass generation is possible through partial compositeness accompanied by the appearance of new heavy fermionic resonances. The Higgs couplings to the Standard Model (SM) particles and between the Higgs bosons themselves are modified with respect to the SM. Higgs pair production is sensitive to the trilinear Higgs self-coupling but also to anomalous couplings like the novel 2-Higgs-2-fermion coupling emerging in composite Higgs models. The QCD corrections to SM Higgs boson pair production are known to be large. In this paper we compute, in the limit of heavy loop particle masses, the next-to-leading order (NLO) QCD corrections to Higgs pair production in composite Higgs models without and with new heavy fermions. The relative QCD corrections are found to be almost insensitive both to the compositeness of the Higgs boson and to the details of the heavy fermion spectrum, since the leading order cross section dominantly factorizes. With the obtained results we investigate the question if, taking into account Higgs coupling constraints, new physics could first be seen in Higgs pair production. We find this to be the case in the high-luminosity option of the LHC for composite Higgs models with heavy fermions. We also investigate the invariant mass distributions at NLO QCD. While they are sensitive to the Higgs non-linearities and hence anomalous couplings, the influence of the heavy fermions is much less pronounced.

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arXiv2016

Higgs mass predictions of public NMSSM spectrum generators

The publicly available spectrum generators for the NMSSM often lead to different predictions for the mass of the standard model-like Higgs boson even if using the same renormalization scheme and two-loop accuracy. Depending on the parameter point, the differences can exceed 5 GeV, and even reach 8 GeV for moderate superparticle masses of up to 2 TeV. It is shown here that these differences can be traced back to the calculation of the running standard model parameters entering all calculations, to the approximations used in the two-loop corrections included in the different codes, and to different choices for the renormalization conditions and scales. In particular, the importance of the calculation of the top Yukawa coupling is pointed out.

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arXiv2015

Light stop decays into $W b \tildeχ_1^0$ near the kinematic threshold

We investigate the decays of the light stop in scenarios with the lightest neutralino $\tildeχ_1^0$ being the lightest supersymmetric particle, including flavour-violating (FV) effects. We analyse the region where the three-body decay $\tilde{t}_1\to W b \tildeχ_1^0$ is kinematically allowed and provide a proper description of the transition region between the three-body decay and the four-body decay $\tilde{t}_1 \to\tildeχ_1^0 b f \bar{f}'$. The improved treatment has been implemented in the Fortran package {\tt SUSY-HIT} and is used for the analysis of this region. A scan over the parameter range including all relevant experimental constraints reveals that the FV two-body decay into charm and $\tildeχ_1^0$ can be as important as the three-, respectively, four-body decays if not dominant and therefore should be taken into account in order to complete the experimental searches for the light stop.

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arXiv2015

NLO QCD Corrections to Higgs Pair Production including Dimension-6 Operators

New Physics that becomes relevant at some high scale $Λ$ beyond the experimental reach, can be described in the effective theory approach by adding higher-dimensional operators to the Standard Model (SM) Lagrangian. In Higgs pair production through gluon fusion, which gives access to the trilinear Higgs self-coupling, this leads not only to modifications of the SM couplings but also induces novel couplings not present in the SM. For a proper prediction of the cross section, higher order QCD corrections that are important for this process, have to be taken into account. The various higher-dimensional contributions are affected differently by the QCD corrections. In this paper, we provide the next-to-leading order (NLO) QCD corrections to Higgs pair production including dimension-6 operators in the limit of large top quark masses. Depending on the dimension-6 coefficients entering the Lagrangian, the new operators affect the relative NLO QCD corrections by several per cent, while modifying the cross section by up to an order of magnitude.

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arXiv2014

Two-Loop Contributions of the Order $\mathcal{O}(α_tα_s)$ to the Masses of the Higgs Bosons in the CP-Violating NMSSM

We provide the two-loop corrections to the Higgs boson masses of the CP-violating NMSSM in the Feynman diagrammatic approach with vanishing external momentum at ${\cal O} (α_t α_s)$. The adopted renormalization scheme is a mixture between $\overline{\text{DR}}$ and on-shell conditions. Additionally, the renormalization of the top/stop sector is provided both for the $\overline{\text{DR}}$ and the on-shell scheme. The calculation is performed in the gaugeless limit. We find that the two-loop corrections compared to the one-loop corrections are of the order of 5-10\%, depending on the top/stop renormalization scheme. The theoretical error on the Higgs boson masses is reduced due to the inclusion of these higher order corrections.

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arXiv2014

Vector-like Bottom Quarks in Composite Higgs Models

Like many other models, Composite Higgs Models feature the existence of heavy vector-like quarks. Mixing effects between the Standard Model fields and the heavy states, which can be quite large in case of the top quark, imply deviations from the SM. In this work we investigate the possibility of heavy bottom partners. We show that they can have a significant impact on electroweak precision observables and the current Higgs results if there is a sizeable mixing with the bottom quark. We explicitly check that the constraints from the measurement of the CKM matrix element $V_{tb}$ are fulfilled, and we test the compatibility with the electroweak precision observables. In particular we evaluate the constraint from the $Z$ coupling to left-handed bottom quarks. General formulae have been derived which include the effects of new bottom partners in the loop corrections to this coupling and which can be applied to other models with similar particle content. Furthermore, the constraints from direct searches for heavy states at the LHC and from the Higgs search results have been included in our analysis. The best agreement with all the considered constraints is achieved for medium to large compositeness of the left-handed top and bottom quarks.

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