Sensitivity to New Physics in final states with multiple gauge and Higgs bosons

TL;DR

This paper investigates the sensitivity of hadron-collider processes involving multiple gauge and Higgs bosons to new physics beyond the Standard Model, using effective field theory and current experimental data.

Contribution

It provides a novel analysis of VVHH interactions in the context of dimension-8 operators, comparing constraints from different experimental channels and exploring future collider prospects.

Findings

Constraints from vector-boson-fusion Higgs-pair production are highly competitive.

Unitarity bounds influence the interpretation of experimental constraints.

New final states like ZHH can enhance sensitivity to new physics.

Abstract

We analyse the sensitivity to beyond-the-Standard-Model effects of hadron-collider processes involving the interaction of two electroweak and two Higgs bosons, VVHH, with V being either a W or a Z boson. We examine current experimental results by the CMS collaboration in the context of a dimension-8 extension of the Standard Model in an effective-field-theory formalism. We show that constraints from vector-boson-fusion Higgs-pair production on operators that modify the Standard Model VVHH interactions are already comparable with or more stringent than those quoted in the analysis of vector-boson-scattering final states. We study the modifications of such constraints when introducing unitarity bounds, and investigate the potential of new experimental final states, such as ZHH associated production. Finally, we show perspectives for the high-luminosity phase of the LHC.