arXiv subjects

S. J. Huber

Publications and source records attributed to S. J. Huber.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Baryogenesis from spontaneous CP violation in the early Universe

We propose a variant of electroweak-scale baryogenesis characterized by the spontaneous breaking of the charge-parity (CP) symmetry in the early Universe driven by the vacuum expectation value of a CP-odd scalar. This CP breaking period in the early Universe would be ended by the electroweak phase transition, with CP being (approximately) conserved at present, thus avoiding the stringent electric dipole moment experimental constraints on beyond-the-Standard-Model sources of CP violation. We study an explicit realization via a non-minimal Higgs sector consisting of two Higgs doublets and a singlet pseudoscalar (2HDM + $a$). We analyze the region of the 2HDM + $a$ parameter space where such an early Universe period of CP violation occurs, and show that the required thermal history and successful baryogenesis lead to a predictive scenario, testable by a combination of LHC searches and low-energy flavour measurements.

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arXiv2017

The Higgs Vacuum Uplifted: Revisiting the Electroweak Phase Transition with a Second Higgs Doublet

The existence of a second Higgs doublet in Nature could lead to a cosmological first order electroweak phase transition and explain the origin of the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the Universe. We explore the parameter space of such a two-Higgs-doublet-model and show that a first order electroweak phase transition strongly correlates with a significant uplifting of the Higgs vacuum w.r.t. its Standard Model value. We then obtain the spectrum and properties of the new scalars $H_0$, $A_0$ and $H^{\pm}$ that signal such a phase transition, showing that the decay $A_0 \rightarrow H_0 Z$ at the LHC and a sizable deviation in the Higgs self-coupling $λ_{hhh}$ from its SM value are sensitive indicators of a strongly first order electroweak phase transition in the 2HDM.

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arXiv2016

A Second Higgs Doublet in the Early Universe: Baryogenesis and Gravitational Waves

We show that simple Two Higgs Doublet models still provide a viable explanation for the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe via electroweak baryogenesis, even after taking into account the recent order-of-magnitude improvement on the electron-EDM experimental bound by the ACME Collaboration. Moreover we show that, in the region of parameter space where baryogenesis is possible, the gravitational wave spectrum generated at the end of the electroweak phase transition is within the sensitivity reach of the future space-based interferometer LISA.

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arXiv2016

Hierarchical vs Degenerate 2HDM: The LHC Run 1 Legacy at the Onset of Run 2

Current discussions of the allowed two-Higgs-doublet model (2HDM) parameter space after LHC Run 1 and the prospects for Run 2 are commonly phrased in the context of a quasi-degenerate spectrum for the new scalars. Here we discuss the generic situation of a 2HDM with a non-degenerate spectrum for the new scalars. This is highly motivated from a cosmological perspective since it naturally leads to a strongly first order electroweak phase transition that could explain the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the Universe. While constraints from measurements of Higgs signal strengths do not change, those from searches of new scalar states get modified dramatically once a non-degenerate spectrum is considered.

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arXiv2015

More Higgses at the LHC and the Electroweak Phase Transition

A cosmological first order electroweak phase transition could explain the origin of the cosmic matter-antimatter asymmetry. While it does not occur in the Standard Model, it becomes possible in the presence of a second Higgs doublet. In this context, we obtain the properties of the new scalars $H_0$, $A_0$ and $H^{\pm}$ leading to such a phase transition, showing that its key LHC signature would be the decay $A_0 \rightarrow H_0 Z$, and we analyze the promising LHC search prospects for this decay in the $\ell \ell b\bar{b}$ and $\ell \ell W^{+} W^{-}$ final states. Finally, we comment on the impact of the $A_0 \rightarrow H_0 Z$ decay on current LHC searches for $A_0$ decaying into SM particles.

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arXiv2013

A strong electroweak phase transition in the 2HDM after LHC8

The nature of the electroweak phase transition in two-Higgs-doublet models is revisited in light of the recent LHC results. A scan over an extensive region of their parameter space is performed, showing that a strongly first-order phase transition favours a light neutral scalar with SM-like properties, together with a heavy pseudo-scalar (m_A^0 > 400 GeV) and a mass hierarchy in the scalar sector, m_H^+ < m_H^0 < m_A^0. We also investigate the h^0 -> gamma gamma decay channel and find that an enhancement in the branching ratio is allowed, and in some cases even preferred, when a strongly first-order phase transition is required.

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arXiv2001

Bubble Walls, CP Violation and Electroweak Baryogenesis in the MSSM

We discuss the generation of the baryon asymmetry by a strong first order electroweak phase transition in the early universe, particularly in the context of the MSSM. This requires a thorough numerical treatment of the bubble wall profile in the case of two Higgs fields. CP violating complex particle masses varying with the Higgs field in the wall are essential. Since in the MSSM there is no indication of spontaneous CP violation around the critical temperature (contrary to the NMSSM) we have to rely on standard explicit CP violation. Using the WKB approximation for particles in the plasma we are led to Boltzmann transport equations for the difference of left-handed particles and their CP conjugates. This asymmetry is finally transformed into a baryon asymmetry by out of equilibrium sphaleron transitions in the symmetric phase. We solve the transport equations and find a baryon asymmetry depending mostly on the CP violating phases and the wall velocity.

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arXiv1999

CP Violating Bubble Wall Profiles

We solve the equations of motion for a CP violating phase between the two Higgs doublets at the bubble wall of the MSSM electroweak phase transition. Contrary to earlier suggestions, we do not find indications of spontaneous ``transitional'' CP violation in the MSSM. On the other hand, in case there is explicit CP violation in the stop and chargino/neutralino sectors, the relative phase between the Higgses does become space dependent, but only mildly even in the maximal case. We also demonstrate that spontaneous CP violation within the bubble wall could occur, e.g., if the Higgs sector of the MSSM were supplemented by a singlet. Finally we point out some implications for baryogenesis computations.

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arXiv1999

A Tachyonic Gluon Mass: Between Infrared and Ultraviolet

The gluon spin coupling to a Gaussian correlated background gauge field induces an effective tachyonic gluon mass. It is momentum dependent and vanishes in the UV only like 1/p^2. In the IR, we obtain stabilization through a positive m^2_{conf}(p^2) related to confinement. Recently a purely phenomenological tachyonic gluon mass was used to explain the linear rise in the q\bar q static potential at small distances and also some long standing discrepancies found in QCD sum rules. We show that the stochastic vacuum model of QCD predicts a gluon mass with the desired properties.

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arXiv1999

Singlets and the Electroweak Phase Transition

Singlet extensions of the Standard Model (SM) allow for a strongly first order electroweak phase transition, because of trilinear terms in the tree-level potential. We present a systematic procedure to study the parameter space of the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric SM (NMSSM). We find that this model is consistent with electroweak baryogenesis for a wide range of parameters, allowing Higgs masses up to at least 115 GeV.

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arXiv1999

Nonperturbative Contributions to the Hot Electroweak Potential

The hot electroweak potential for small Higgs field values is argued to obtain contributions from a fluctuating gauge field background leading to confinement. The destabilization of F^2=0 and the crossover are discussed in our phenomenological approach, also based on lattice data.

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arXiv1998

Nonperturbative Contributions to the Hot Electroweak Potential and the Crossover

We discuss nonperturbative contributions to the 3-dimensional one-loop effective potential of the electroweak theory at high temperatures in the framework of the stochastic vacuum model. It assumes a gauge-field background with Gaussian correlations which leads to confinement. The instability of =0 in Yang-Mills theory appears for small Higgs expectation value <ϕ^2> in an IR regularized form. The gauge boson propagator obtains a positive momentum-dependent ``diamagnetic'' effective (mass)^2 due to confinement effects and a negative one due to ``paramagnetic'' spin-spin interactions which are related to the =0 instability. Numerical evaluation of an approximate effective potential containing these masses shows qualitatively the fading away of the first-order phase transition with increasing Higgs mass which was observed in lattice calculations. The crossover point can be roughly determined postulating that the effective ϕ^4 and ϕ^2 terms vanish there.

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