Composite or elementary? Probing the nature of the Higgs

TL;DR

This paper explores the possibility that the Higgs boson is a light composite scalar arising from strong dynamics, discussing its properties, associated resonances, and potential LHC signatures to understand its true nature.

Contribution

It introduces an effective Lagrangian framework to analyze light spin-1 resonances in composite Higgs models and assesses their observable effects at the LHC.

Findings

Light composite scalar can mimic the Standard Model Higgs

Additional spin-1 resonances are predicted in these models

Potential LHC signatures of these resonances are discussed

Abstract

I discuss consequences of electroweak symmetry breaking by strong dynamics, assuming the existence of a light composite scalar appearing as a pseudo-Goldstone boson of some global symmetry of the new strongly interacting sector. In such a scenario, the composite scalar has properties very similar to the Standard Model Higgs, but the existence of additional resonances with different spins is also expected. Properties and phenomenology of lightest spin-1 resonances are considered in a simple general effective Lagrangian description. The question whether the effects of spin-1 resonances can be observed at the LHC, shedding light on the nature of the Higgs boson, is addressed.