Higgs Physics: Theory

TL;DR

This paper reviews the theoretical foundations of Higgs boson physics, emphasizing production, decay, and detection strategies at colliders like the LHC and Tevatron, including supersymmetric extensions.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of Higgs theory, production mechanisms, decay modes, and future prospects, integrating Standard Model and supersymmetric perspectives.

Findings

Gluon-gluon fusion is the main Higgs production process.

Higgs decay channels are crucial for detection at colliders.

Supersymmetric models extend Higgs phenomenology.

Abstract

I review the theoretical aspects of the physics of Higgs bosons, focusing on the elements that are relevant for the production and detection at present hadron colliders. After briefly summarizing the basics of electroweak symmetry breaking in the Standard Model, I discuss Higgs production at the LHC and at the Tevatron, with some focus on the main production mechanism, the gluon-gluon fusion process, and summarize the main Higgs decay modes and the experimental detection channels. I then briefly survey the case of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model. In a last section, I review the prospects for determining the fundamental properties of the Higgs particles once they have been experimentally observed.