Consistent Use of the Standard Model Effective Potential

TL;DR

This paper introduces a gauge- and scale-independent method for assessing the stability of the Standard Model's Higgs potential, leading to revised bounds on Higgs and top quark masses.

Contribution

It provides a consistent, order-by-order perturbative approach to determine the true vacuum stability independent of gauge choice and calculation scale.

Findings

Revised stability bounds: mH > 129.4 GeV, mt < 171.2 GeV

Method eliminates gauge and scale dependence in stability analysis

Framework to evaluate new physics effects on stability bounds

Abstract

The stability of the Standard Model is determined by the true minimum of the effective Higgs potential. We show that the potential at its minimum when computed by the traditional method is strongly dependent on the gauge parameter. It moreover depends on the scale where the potential is calculated. We provide a consistent method for determining absolute stability independent of both gauge and calculation scale, order by order in perturbation theory. This leads to a revised stability bounds mH > (129.4 \pm 2.3) GeV and mt < (171.2 \pm 0.3)GeV. We also show how to evaluate the effect of new physics on the stability bound without resorting to unphysical field values.