NLO-QCD corrections to Higgs pair production in the MSSM

TL;DR

This paper advances the calculation of Higgs pair production in the MSSM by providing analytic NLO-QCD corrections, highlighting the significance of squark contributions, especially with lighter stops, and extending results to the NMSSM.

Contribution

It offers the first analytic NLO-QCD results for Higgs pair production in the MSSM, including two-loop squark effects, using a low-energy theorem approach.

Findings

Two-loop squark contributions can significantly affect production rates.

Analytic results are obtained in the zero external momentum limit.

Results can be adapted for Higgs pair production in the NMSSM.

Abstract

We take a step towards a complete NLO-QCD determination of the production of a pair of Higgs scalars in the MSSM. Exploiting a low-energy theorem that connects the Higgs-gluon interactions to the derivatives of the gluon self-energy, we obtain analytic results for the one- and two-loop squark contributions to Higgs pair production in the limit of vanishing external momenta. We find that the two-loop squark contributions can have non-negligible effects in MSSM scenarios with stop masses below the TeV scale. We also show how our results can be adapted to the case of Higgs pair production in the NMSSM.