Higher-Order Corrections to Quantum Observables in $h\to WW^*$

TL;DR

This paper analyzes next-to-leading order electroweak corrections to the angular distributions in Higgs decay to WW*, revealing shifts and new structures that impact quantum entanglement interpretations.

Contribution

It provides a systematic calculation of higher-order corrections to angular coefficients in $h o WW^*$ decay, highlighting their effects on quantum properties and relations among coefficients.

Findings

Radiative corrections induce up to 5% shifts in angular coefficients.

New structures appear at higher order, breaking previous coefficient relations.

Quantum entanglement features in $h o WW^*$ are more stable than in $h o ZZ^*$.

Abstract

The Higgs boson decay $h \to WW^* \to \ell^+ \nu_\ell \ell'^- \bar{\nu}_{\ell'}$ provides a unique window into the structure of the Higgs couplings to electroweak gauge bosons and has recently gained attention for its potential to unveil quantum properties such as quantum entanglement between the intermediate gauge bosons. In this work, we present a systematic study of next-to-leading order electroweak corrections to the angular coefficients characterizing this decay. While these coefficients are highly constrained at leading order, radiative corrections induce shifts of up to 5% to the existing terms and generate novel structures that vanish at leading order, breaking previous relations among coefficients. While higher-order effects influence the results, the two-qutrit quantum structure in the $h\to WW^*$ channel exhibits greater stability under such corrections than in the previously studied $h \to ZZ^*$ decay.