Weak Scale Triggers in the SMEFT

TL;DR

The paper argues that the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) lacks weak scale trigger operators up to dimension eight, which are crucial for solving the hierarchy problem and for cosmological solutions.

Contribution

It demonstrates the absence of weak scale trigger operators in SMEFT up to dimension eight, impacting the search for solutions to the hierarchy problem.

Findings

No weak scale triggers in SMEFT up to dimension six.

The absence extends to dimension eight.

Focusing on known trigger operators can help discover or exclude related solutions.

Abstract

There are no weak scale triggers in the SMEFT up to dimension six that can solve the hierarchy problem far above the weak scale. Our arguments can be used to show that the same is true at dimension eight. Weak scale triggers are local operators sensitive to the Higgs mass squared and they are needed in a large number of qualitatively different cosmological solutions to the hierarchy problem. These solutions have little in common besides the use of a trigger operator. We argue that focusing on the signatures of the three already-known trigger operators can lead to discover or exclude this class of solutions to the hierarchy problem.