arXiv subjects

Stefania Gori

Publications and source records attributed to Stefania Gori.

89 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

A Minimal Flavor Violating 2HDM at the LHC

We explore the phenomenology of a two Higgs doublet model where both Higgs doublets couple to up-type and down-type fermions with couplings determined by the minimal flavor violation ansatz. This 2HDM "Type MFV" generalizes 2HDM Types I-IV, where the decay rates of h --> bb and h --> tau+tau- are governed by MFV couplings independent of the Higgs couplings to gauge bosons or the top quark. To determine the implications of the present Higgs data on the model, we have performed global fits to all relevant data. Several surprisingly large effects on the light Higgs phenomenology can arise: (1) The modified couplings of the Higgs to fermions can enhance the h --> gamma gamma rate significantly in both VBF production (up to a factor of 3 or more) and the inclusive rate (up to a factor of 1.5 or more). (2) In the 2HDM Type MFV, the constraints on a light charged Higgs are milder than in 2HDM Types I-IV. Thus, there can be substantial charged Higgs loop contribution to the di-photon rate, allowing further enhancements of the di-photon rates. (3) The h --> tau+tau- rate can be (highly) suppressed, independently of the other decay channels. Furthermore, we studied the correlation between the light Higgs and the heavy Higgs phenomenology. We showed that even small deviations from the decoupling limit would imply good prospects for the detection of the heavy Higgs boson. In some regions of parameter space, a substantial range of M_H is already either ruled out or on the edge of detection. Finally we investigated the possibility that the heavy Higgs is close in mass to the light Higgs, providing additional h/H --> bb rate, as well as confounding the extraction of properties of the Higgs bosons.

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arXiv2012

Vacuum Stability and Higgs Diphoton Decays in the MSSM

Current Higgs data at the Large Hadron Collider is compatible with a SM signal at the 2$σ$ level, but the central value of the signal strength in the diphoton channel is enhanced with respect to the SM expectation. If the enhancement resides in the diphoton partial decay width, the data could be accommodated in the Minimally Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) with highly mixed light staus. We revisit the issue of vacuum instability induced by large mixing in the stau sector, including effects of a radiatively-corrected tau Yukawa coupling. Further, we emphasize the importance of taking into account the $\tanβ$ dependence in the stability bound. While the metastability of the Universe constrains the possible enhancement in the Higgs to diphoton decay width in the light stau scenario, an increase of the order of 50% can be achieved in the region of large $\tanβ$. Larger enhancements may be obtained, but would require values of $\tanβ$ associated with non-perturbative values of the tau Yukawa coupling at scales below the GUT scale, thereby implying the presence of new physics beyond the MSSM.

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arXiv2012

Higgs Couplings and Precision Electroweak Data

In light of the discovery of a Higgs-like particle at the LHC, we revisit the status of the precision electroweak data, focusing on two discrepant observables: 1) the long-standing 2.4 sigma deviation in the forward-backward asymmetry of the bottom quark A_{FB}^b, and 2) the 2.3 sigma deviation in R_b, the ratio of the Z \rightarrow b \bar b partial width to the inclusive hadronic width, which is now in tension after a recent calculation including new two-loop electroweak corrections. We consider possible resolutions of these discrepancies. Taking the data at face value, the most compelling scenario is that new physics directly affects A_{FB}^b and R_b, bringing the prediction into accord with the measured values. We propose a modified `Beautiful Mirrors' scenario which contains new vector-like quarks that mix with the b quark, modifying the Z b\bar b vertex and thus correcting A_{FB}^b and R_b. We show that this scenario can lead to modifications to the production rates of the Higgs boson in certain channels, and in particular a sizable enhancement in the diphoton channel. We also describe additional collider tests of this scenario.

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arXiv2012

Exploring the Higgs Portal with 10/fb at the LHC

We consider the impact of new exotic colored and/or charged matter interacting through the Higgs portal on Standard Model Higgs boson searches at the LHC. Such Higgs portal couplings can induce shifts in the effective Higgs-gluon-gluon and Higgs-photon-photon couplings, thus modifying the Higgs production and decay patterns. We consider two possible interpretations of the current LHC Higgs searches based on ~ 5/fb of data at each detector: 1) a Higgs boson in the mass range (124-126) GeV and 2) a `hidden' heavy Higgs boson which is underproduced due to the suppression of its gluon fusion production cross section. We first perform a model independent analysis of the allowed sizes of such shifts in light of the current LHC data. As a class of possible candidates for new physics which gives rise to such shifts, we investigate the effects of new scalar multiplets charged under the Standard Model gauge symmetries. We determine the scalar parameter space that is allowed by current LHC Higgs searches, and compare with complementary LHC searches that are sensitive to the direct production of colored scalar states.

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arXiv2012

LHC Discovery Potential for Non-Standard Higgs Bosons in the 3b Channel

In a variety of well motivated models, such as two Higgs Doublet Models (2HDMs) and the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), there are neutral Higgs bosons that have significantly enhanced couplings to b-quarks and tau leptons in comparison to those of the SM Higgs. These so called non-standard Higgs bosons could be copiously produced at the LHC in association with b quarks, and subsequently decay into b-quark pairs. However, this production channel suffers from large irreducible QCD backgrounds. We propose a new search strategy for non-standard neutral Higgs bosons at the 7 TeV LHC in the 3b's final state topology. We perform a simulation of the signal and backgrounds, using state of the art tools and methods for different sets of selection cuts, and conclude that neutral Higgs bosons with couplings to b-quarks of about 0.3 or larger, and masses up to 400 GeV, could be seen with a luminosity of 30 fb^{-1}. In the case of the MSSM we also discuss the complementarity between the 3b channel and the inclusive tau pair channel in exploring the supersymmetric parameter space.

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arXiv2012

Light Stau Phenomenology and the Higgs γγRate

Recently, an excess of events consistent with a Higgs boson with mass of about 125 GeV was reported by the CMS and ATLAS experiments. This Higgs boson mass is consistent with the values that may be obtained in minimal supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model (SM), with both stop masses less than a TeV and large mixing. The apparently enhanced photon production rate associated with this potential Higgs signal may be the result of light staus with large mixing. Large stau mixing and large coupling of the staus to the SM-like Higgs boson may be obtained for large values of tan β, and moderate to large values of the Higgsino mass parameter, μ. We study the phenomenological properties of this scenario, including precision electroweak data, the muon anomalous magnetic moment, Dark Matter, and the evolution of the soft supersymmetry-breaking parameters to high energies. We also analyze the possible collider signatures of light third generation sleptons and demonstrate that it is possible to find evidence of their production at the 8 TeV and the 14 TeV LHC. The most promising channel is stau and tau sneutrino associated production, with the sneutrino decaying into a W boson plus a light stau.

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arXiv2012

A 125 GeV SM-like Higgs in the MSSM and the $γγ$ rate

We consider the possibility of a Standard Model (SM)-like Higgs in the context of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), with a mass of about 125 GeV and with a production times decay rate into two photons which is similar or somewhat larger than the SM one. The relatively large value of the SM-like Higgs mass demands stops in the several hundred GeV mass range with somewhat large mixing, or a large hierarchy between the two stop masses in the case that one of the two stops is light. We find that, in general, if the heaviest stop mass is smaller than a few TeV, the rate of gluon fusion production of Higgs bosons decaying into two photons tends to be somewhat suppressed with respect to the SM one in this region of parameters. However, we show that an enhancement of the photon decay rate may be obtained for light third generation sleptons with large mixing, which can be naturally obtained for large values of $\tanβ$ and sizable values of the Higgsino mass parameter.

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arXiv2011

Signals of CP Violation Beyond the MSSM in Higgs and Flavor Physics

We study an extension of the Higgs sector of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), considering the effects of new degrees of freedom at the TeV scale, and allowing for sources of CP violation beyond the MSSM (BMSSM). We analyze the impact of the BMSSM sources of CP violation on the Higgs collider phenomenology and on low energy flavor and CP violating observables. We identify distinct Higgs collider signatures that cannot be realized, either in the case without CP violating phases or in the CP violating MSSM, and investigate the prospects to probe them at the Tevatron and the LHC. The most striking benchmark scenario has three neutral Higgs bosons that all decay dominantly into W boson pairs and that are well within the reach of the 7 TeV LHC run. On the other hand, we also present scenarios with three Higgs bosons that have masses M_Hi > 150 GeV and decay dominantly into b bbar. Such scenarios are much more challenging to probe and can even lie completely outside the reach of the 7 TeV LHC run. We explore complementary scenarios with standard MSSM Higgs signals that allow to accommodate a sizable B_s mixing phase as indicated by D0, as well as the excess in B_s --> mu+ mu- candidates recently reported by CDF. We find that, in contrast to the MSSM, a minimal flavor violating soft sector is sufficient to generate significant corrections to CP violating observables in meson mixing, compatible with EDM constraints. In particular, a sizable B_s mixing phase, S_psiphi < 0.4, can be achieved for specific regions of parameter space. Such a large B_s mixing phase would unambiguously imply a sizable suppression of S_psiKs with respect to the SM prediction and a BR(B_s --> mu+ mu-) close to the 95% C.L. upper bound reported by CDF.

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arXiv2011

Solving the mu problem with a heavy Higgs boson

We discuss the generation of the mu-term in a class of supersymmetric models characterized by a low energy effective superpotential containing a term lambda S H_1 H_2 with a large coupling lambda~2. These models generically predict a lightest Higgs boson well above the LEP limit of 114 GeV and have been shown to be compatible with the unification of gauge couplings. Here we discuss a specific example where the superpotential has no dimensionful parameters and we point out the relation between the generated mu-term and the mass of the lightest Higgs boson. We discuss the fine-tuning of the model and we find that the generation of a phenomenologically viable mu-term fits very well with a heavy lightest Higgs boson and a low degree of fine-tuning. We discuss experimental constraints from collider direct searches, precision data, thermal relic dark matter abundance, and WIMP searches finding that the most natural region of the parameter space is still allowed by current experiments. We analyse bounds on the masses of the superpartners coming from Naturalness arguments and discuss the main signatures of the model for the LHC and future WIMP searches.

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arXiv2011

Search for Higgs Bosons in SUSY Cascade Decays and Neutralino Dark Matter

The Minimal Supersymmetric Extension of the Standard Model (MSSM) is a well motivated theoretical framework, which contains an extended Higgs sector, including a light Higgs with Standard Model-like properties in most of the parameter space. Due to the large QCD background, searches for such a Higgs, decaying into a pair of bottom quarks, is very challenging at the LHC. It has been long realized that the situation may be ameliorated by searching for Higgs bosons in supersymmetric decay chains. Moreover, it has been recently suggested that the bobber decay channel may be observed in standard production channels by selecting boosted Higgs bosons, which may be easily identified from the QCD background. Such boosted Higgs bosons are frequent in the MSSM, since they are produced from decays of heavy colored supersymmetric particles. Previous works have emphasized the possibility of observing boosted Higgs bosons in the light higgsino region. In this work, we study the same question in the regions of parameter space consistent with a neutralino dark matter relic density, analyzing its dependence on the non-standard Higgs boson, slepton and squark masses, as well as on the condition of gaugino mass unification. In general, we conclude that, provided sleptons are heavier than the second lightest neutralinos, the presence of boosted Higgs is a common MSSM feature, implying excellent prospects for observation of the light MSSM Higgs boson in the near future.

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arXiv2011

W plus two jets from a quasi-inert Higgs doublet

We show that, the result recently reported by the CDF collaboration showing an excess in the invariant mass distribution of jet pairs produced in association with a W-boson can be explained by a simple extension of the Standard Model (SM) with an additional quasi-inert Higgs doublet. The two additional neutral Higgs states H^0 and A^0 have a mass of about 150 GeV and decay into a pair of jets. W^\pm H^0/A^0 pairs are produced from the decay of the heavier charged Higgs boson H^\pm. Depending on the precise masses of the neutral and charged Higgs bosons, the model is shown to be in agreement with constraints from electroweak precision tests and from flavor physics for a broad range of the Standard Model-like Higgs mass from 100 GeV to several hundreds of GeV. Other possible signals of this model at the Tevatron and the LHC are discussed.

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arXiv2010

Higgs-mediated FCNCs: Natural Flavour Conservation vs. Minimal Flavour Violation

We compare the effectiveness of two hypotheses, Natural Flavour Conservation (NFC) and Minimal Flavour Violation (MFV), in suppressing the strength of flavour-changing neutral-currents (FCNCs) in models with more than one Higgs doublet. We show that the MFV hypothesis, in its general formulation, is more stable in suppressing FCNCs than the hypothesis of NFC alone when quantum corrections are taken into account. The phenomenological implications of the two scenarios are discussed analysing meson-antimeson mixing observables and the rare decays B -> mu+ mu-. We demonstrate that, introducing flavour-blind CP phases, two-Higgs doublet models respecting the MFV hypothesis can accommodate a large CP-violating phase in Bs mixing, as hinted by CDF and D0 data and, without extra free parameters, soften significantly in a correlated manner the observed anomaly in the relation between epsilon_K and S_psi_K.

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arXiv2009

The Impact of Kaluza-Klein Fermions on Standard Model Fermion Couplings in a RS Model with Custodial Protection

We reconsider the impact of heavy vector-like fermions on the couplings of standard model (SM) quarks to the SM gauge bosons W and Z and to the SM Higgs boson H. Integrating out these fermions at tree level we derive general formulae that can be used in any model containing such particles. We apply these formulae to the case of the lightest Kaluza-Klein (KK) fermions in a Randall-Sundrum (RS) model with a custodial protection of flavour conserving $Zd_L^i d_L^i$ and flavour violating $Zd_L^i d_L^j$ couplings. We point out that in this model also the couplings of $Zu_R^i u_R^i$ and $Zu_R^i u_R^j$ are protected. In particular we demonstrate explicitly that this protection is not spoiled by the mixing of the SM quarks with the KK fermions, which is guaranteed by the underlying P_LR symmetry. We find that the impact of KK fermions on the Z-couplings, while not negligible, is significantly smaller than the one coming from the mixing of Z with the heavy KK gauge bosons Z_H and Z'.The situation is similar for the W couplings with the only exception of the tb coupling where the impact of KK fermions can in principle be larger than the effects that are induced by gauge boson mixing. We also show explicitly that at O(v^2/M_{KK}^2) the fermion-Higgs couplings of a Higgs placed on the infrared (IR) brane is not affected by the KK contributions up to strongly chirally suppressed contributions. The corrections to the CKM matrix, in particular the breakdown of its unitarity, are found to be small. We also investigate the right-handed couplings of W that are generated through the mixing with KK-fermions and introduce a 3x3 matrix that describes the pattern of flavour violation in these new interactions of the standard W.

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arXiv2009

Predictions of Warped Extra Dimensions for Flavor Phenomenology

The aim of these proceedings is to present the main predictions of the Randall-Sundrum model with custodial protection for particle-antiparticle mixing and rare decays of K and B_(s,d) mesons, putting particular attention on the testability of the resulting NP effects at future experiments. Before giving numerical results, we discuss theoretical expectations, residing in the flavor structure of the model. The high energy scale M_KK is chosen in such a way that direct searches of new particles at the LHC are possible, still being consistent with electroweak precision observables.

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arXiv2009

Rare K and B Decays in a Warped Extra Dimension with Custodial Protection

We present a complete study of rare K and B meson decays in a warped extra dimensional model with a custodial protection of (both diagonal and non-diagonal) Z d_L^i \bar d_L^j couplings, including K^+ -> pi^+ nu anti-nu, K_L -> pi^0 nu anti-nu, K_L -> pi^0 l^+ l^-, K_L -> mu^+ mu^-, B_{s,d} -> mu^+ mu^-, B -> K nu anti-nu, B -> K^* nu anti-nu and B -> X_{s,d} nu anti-nu. In this model in addition to Standard Model one loop contributions these processes receive tree level contributions from the Z boson and the new heavy electroweak gauge bosons. We analyse all these contributions that turn out to be dominated by tree level Z boson exchanges governed by right-handed couplings to down-type quarks. Imposing all existing constraints from Delta F=2 transitions analysed by us recently and fitting all quark masses and CKM mixing parameters we find that a number of branching ratios for rare K decays can differ significantly from the SM predictions, while the corresponding effects in rare B decays are modest, dominantly due to the custodial protection being more effective in B decays than in K decays. In order to reduce the parameter dependence we study correlations between various observables within the K system, within the B system and in particular between K and B systems, and also between Delta F=2 and Delta F=1 observables. These correlations allow for a clear distinction between this new physics scenario and models with minimal flavour violation or the Littlest Higgs Model with T-parity, and could give an opportunity to future experiments to confirm or rule out the model. We show how our results would change if the custodial protection of Z d_L^i bar d^j_L couplings was absent. In the case of rare B decays the modifications are spectacular.

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arXiv2009

Patterns of Flavour Violation in a Warped Extra Dimensional Model with Custodial Protection

We present a particular warped extra dimensional model, where the flavour diagonal and flavour non-diagonal Z boson couplings to left-handed down quarks are protected by the custodial symmetry P_LR. After a brief introduction of the model and of its main theoretical motivations, we present a complete study of rare K and B meson decays, including K+ --> pi+ nu anti-nu, K_L --> pi0 nu anti-nu, B_{s,d} --> mu+ mu- and B_{s,d} --> X_{s,d} nu anti-nu. In particular we restrict the parameter space of the model to the subspace which fits all quark masses, CKM mixing parameters and all the measured Delta F=2 observables, keeping the Kaluza-Klein scale in the reach of LHC (~(2-3)TeV). There we show that, in addition to the one loop contribution of the Standard Model (SM), the dominating new physics contribution to the rare decays of K and B_{s,d} mesons is the tree level exchange of the Z boson of the SM governed by right-handed couplings to down-type quarks. In order to reduce the parameter dependence, we study correlations between various branching ratios of B and K mesons and between Delta F=1 and Delta F=2 observables. The patterns that we find allow to distinguish this new physics scenario from the SM and can offer an opportunity to future experiments to confirm or rule out the model.

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arXiv2008

Delta F=2 Observables and Fine-Tuning in a Warped Extra Dimension with Custodial Protection

We present a complete study of Delta S = 2 and Delta B = 2 processes in a warped extra dimensional model with a custodial protection of Z b_L bar b_L, including epsilon_K, Delta M_K, Delta M_s, Delta M_d, A^q_SL, Delta Gamma_q, A_CP(B_d -> psi K_S) and A_CP(B_s -> psi phi). These processes are affected by tree level contributions from Kaluza-Klein gluons, the heavy KK photon, new heavy electroweak gauge bosons Z_H and Z', and in principle by tree level Z contributions. We confirm recent findings that the fully anarchic approach where all the hierarchies in quark masses and weak mixing angles are geometrically explained seems implausible and we confirm that the KK mass scale M_KK generically has to be at least ~20TeV to satisfy the epsilon_K constraint. We point out, however, that there exist regions in parameter space with only modest fine-tuning in the 5D Yukawa couplings which satisfy all existing Delta F = 2 and electroweak precision constraints for scales M_KK ~3TeV in reach of the LHC. Simultaneously we find that A_CP(B_s -> psi phi) and A^s_SL can be much larger than in the SM as indicated by recent results from CDF and D0 data. We point out that for B_{d,s} physics Delta F = 2 observables the complex (Z_H,Z') can compete with KK gluons, while the tree level Z and KK photon contributions are very small. In particular we point out that the Z d^i_L bar d^j_L couplings are protected by the custodial symmetry. As a by-product we show the relation of the RS flavour model to the Froggatt-Nielsen mechanism and we provide analytic formulae for the effective flavour mixing matrices in terms of the fundamental 5D parameters.

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