Kunal Kumar

We update the indirect constraints on the Georgi-Machacek model from $B$-physics and electroweak precision observables, including new constraints from $b\to s\gamma$ and $B_s^0\to {\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$. We illustrate the effect of these constraints on the couplings of the Standard-Model-like Higgs boson by performing scans using the most general scalar potential, subject to vacuum stability and perturbativity constraints. We find that simultaneous enhancements of all the Higgs production cross sections by up to 39% are still allowed after imposing these constraints. LHC rate measurements on the Higgs pole could be blind to these enhancements if unobserved nonstandard Higgs decays are present.

We update the indirect constraints on the Georgi-Machacek model from $B$-physics and electroweak precision observables, including new constraints from $b \to s \gamma$ and $B^0_s \to \mu^+ \mu^-$. We illustrate the effect of these constraints on the couplings of the Standard Model-like Higgs boson by performing scans using the most general scalar potential, subject to vacuum stability and perturbativity constraints. We find that simultaneous enhancements of all the Higgs production cross sections by up to 39\% are still allowed after imposing these constraints. LHC rate measurements on the Higgs pole could be blind to these enhancements if unobserved non-standard Higgs decays are present.

We study the most general scalar potential of the Georgi-Machacek model, which adds isospin-triplet scalars to the Standard Model (SM) in a way that preserves custodial SU(2) symmetry. We show that this model possesses a decoupling limit, in which the predominantly-triplet states become heavy and degenerate while the couplings of the remaining light neutral scalar approach those of the SM Higgs boson. We find that the SM-like Higgs boson couplings to fermion pairs and gauge boson pairs can deviate from their SM values by corrections as large as $\mathcal{O}(v^2/M_{\rm new}^2)$, where $v$ is the SM Higgs vacuum expectation value and $M_{\rm new}$ is the mass scale of the predominantly-triplet states. In particular, the SM-like Higgs boson couplings to $W$ and $Z$ boson pairs can decouple much more slowly than in two Higgs doublet models, in which they deviate from their SM values like $\mathcal{O}(v^4/M_{\rm new}^4)$. Furthermore, near the decoupling limit the SM-like Higgs boson couplings to $W$ and $Z$ pairs are always larger than their SM values, which cannot occur in two Higgs doublet models. As such, a precision measurement of Higgs couplings to $W$ and $Z$ pairs may provide an effective method of distinguishing the Georgi-Machacek model from two Higgs doublet models. Using numerical scans, we show that the coupling deviations can reach 10% for $M_{\rm new}$ as large as 800~GeV.

We study the most general scalar potential of the Georgi-Machacek model, which adds isospin-triplet scalars to the Standard Model (SM) in a way that preserves custodial SU(2) symmetry. We show that this model possesses a decoupling limit, in which the predominantly-triplet states become heavy and degenerate while the couplings of the remaining light neutral scalar approach those of the SM Higgs boson. We find that the SM-like Higgs boson couplings to fermion pairs and gauge boson pairs can deviate from their SM values by corrections as large as $\mathcal{O}({v}^{2}/{M}_{\text{new}}^{2})$, where $v$ is the SM Higgs vacuum expectation value and ${M}_{\text{new}}$ is the mass scale of the predominantly-triplet states. In particular, the SM-like Higgs boson couplings to $W$ and $Z$ boson pairs can decouple much more slowly than in two Higgs doublet models, in which they deviate from their SM values like $\mathcal{O}({v}^{4}/{M}_{\text{new}}^{4})$. Furthermore, near the decoupling limit the SM-like Higgs boson couplings to $W$ and $Z$ pairs are always larger than their SM values, which cannot occur in two Higgs doublet models. As such, a precision measurement of Higgs couplings to $W$ and $Z$ pairs may provide an effective method of distinguishing the Georgi-Machacek model from two Higgs doublet models. Using numerical scans, we show that the coupling deviations can reach 10% for ${M}_{\text{new}}$ as large as 800 GeV.

The Standard Model Higgs boson may be mixed with another scalar that does not couple to fermions. The electroweak quantum numbers of such an additional scalar can be determined by measuring the quartic Higgs-Higgs-vector-vector couplings, which contribute---along with the coveted triple Higgs coupling---to double Higgs production in $e^+e^-$ collisions. We show that simultaneous sensitivity to the quartic Higgs-Higgs-vector-vector coupling and the triple Higgs coupling can be obtained using measurements of the double Higgs production cross section at two different e+e- center-of-mass energies. Kinematic distributions of the two Higgs bosons in the final state could provide additional discriminating power.