Non-linear gauge-Higgs CP violation

TL;DR

This paper explores how non-linear Higgs physics within Higgs Effective Field Theory can introduce new sources of CP violation, affecting Higgs production and decay, and compares sensitivities with SMEFT constraints.

Contribution

It investigates gauge-Higgs CP violation in non-linear Higgs scenarios using HEFT, extending rate-based analyses and contrasting with SMEFT limits.

Findings

Modified Higgs production rates due to higher-dimensional operators

Distinct phenomenological patterns in BSM sensitivity between HEFT and SMEFT

Generalization of existing LHC Higgs analyses to include non-linear effects

Abstract

A critical element of the LHC physics program is the search for an additional source of CP violation. This is largely unexplored in the context of non-linear Higgs physics, which is naturally described in Higgs Effective Field Theory (HEFT). Relevant new higher-dimensional operators modify the production rate and branching ratios of the Higgs boson, de-correlating different Higgs multiplicities. In this work, we consider single Higgs and Higgs pair production via weak boson fusion from the perspective of gauge-Higgs CP violation through the lens of Higgs non-linearity. This generalizes existing rate-based searches and analyses by the ATLAS and CMS experiments. Particular focus is given to the phenomenological differences in the expected BSM sensitivity pattern when comparing HEFT constraints with Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) limits.