A Non Standard Model Higgs at the LHC as a Sign of Naturalness

TL;DR

This paper explores how deviations in Higgs properties at the LHC could indicate naturalness issues in supersymmetric models, highlighting the potential for precision Higgs measurements to reveal light stops and new physics.

Contribution

It demonstrates that non-Standard-Model Higgs signals and precise Higgs coupling ratios can serve as indicators of natural SUSY spectra and light stops at the LHC.

Findings

Large deviations in Higgs properties suggest natural SUSY.

Higgs coupling ratios can reach percent-level precision.

Enhanced Higgs production cross-section may indicate light stops.

Abstract

Light states associated with the hierarchy problem affect the Higgs LHC production and decays. We illustrate this within the MSSM and two simple extensions applying the latest bounds from LHC Higgs searches. Large deviations in the Higgs properties are expected in a natural SUSY spectrum. The discovery of a non-Standard-Model Higgs may signal the presence of light stops accessible at the LHC. Conversely, the more the Higgs is Standard-Model-like, the more tuned the theory becomes. Taking the ratio of different Higgs decay channels at the LHC cancels the leading QCD uncertainties and potentially improves the accuracy in Higgs coupling measurements to the percent level. This may lead to the possibility of doing precision Higgs physics at the LHC. Finally, we entertain the possibility that the ATLAS excess around 125 GeV persists with a Higgs production cross-section that is enhanced compared to the SM. This increase can only be accommodated in extensions of the MSSM and it may suggest that stops lie below 400 GeV, likely within reach of next year's LHC run.