Digging for Top Squarks from Higgs data: from signal strengths to differential distributions

TL;DR

This paper investigates how deviations in Higgs production processes at the LHC can indirectly reveal the presence of top squarks, especially using boosted Higgs events to overcome degeneracies in parameter space.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the complementarity between inclusive and boosted Higgs production processes for top squark searches, including full mass dependence in loop calculations.

Findings

Boosted Higgs processes can help break degeneracies in top squark parameter space.

Full mass dependence in loop functions is necessary for accurate predictions.

High luminosity and improved understanding are needed for boosted Higgs to match inclusive production sensitivity.

Abstract

One way to hunt for top squarks is to look for deviations from the Standard Model in loop level processes involving Higgses. This method is indirect, but complementary to direct searches as it does not rely on specific top squark decays. Studying inclusive Higgs production $pp \to h$ alone is insufficient, since there are parameter regions where the effects of the two top squarks approximately cancel. This degeneracy can be broken by looking at the rate for highly boosted Higgses recoiling against a jet, $pp \to h + \text{jet}$. In this paper we perform a detailed study of the complementarity of the inclusive and highly boosted processes at the LHC, both in existing Run 1 and Run 2 data, and looking forward to high luminosity. To break the degeneracy, our calculation must maintain the full mass dependence in the loop functions and therefore cannot be recast in an effective field theory framework. We quantify the dependence of both topologies in the top squark parameter space, and outline which levels of experimental and theoretical understanding would be needed for boosted Higgses to be competitive with inclusive Higgs production.