The No-Higgs Signal: Strong WW Scattering at the LHC

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential for strong WW scattering signals at the LHC as evidence of electroweak symmetry breaking without a light Higgs boson, including theoretical frameworks and experimental signatures.

Contribution

It reviews the theoretical basis for strong WW scattering without a light Higgs and discusses LHC signals in models with QCD-like dynamics and extra dimensions.

Findings

Unitarity constrains the scale of strong WW scattering.

LHC signals include WZ and like-charge WW channels.

Strong WW scattering can arise from five-dimensional models.

Abstract

Strong WW scattering at the LHC is discussed as a manifestation of electroweak symmetry breaking in the absence of a light Higgs boson. The general framework of the Higgs mechanism -- with or without a Higgs boson -- is reviewed, and unitarity is shown to fix the scale of strong WW scattering. Strong WW scattering is also shown to be a possible outcome of five-dimensional models, which do not employ the usual Higgs mechanism at the TeV scale. Precision electroweak constraints are briefly discussed. Illustrative LHC signals are reviewed for models with QCD-like dynamics, stressing the complementarity of the W^{\pm}Z and like-charge W^+W^+ + W^-W^- channels.