The Higgs Decay Width in Multi-Scalar Doublet Models

We show that there are regions of parameter space in multi-scalar doublet models where, in the first few hundred inverse femtobarns of data, the new charged and neutral scalars are not directly observable at the LHC and yet the Higgs decay rate to b bbar is changed significantly from its standard model value. For a light Higgs with a mass less than 140 GeV, this can cause a large change in the number of two photon and tau tau Higgs decay events expected at the LHC compared to the minimal standard model. In the models we consider, the principle of minimal flavor violation is used to suppress flavor changing neutral currents. This paper emphasizes the importance of measuring the properties of the Higgs boson at the LHC; for a range of parameters the model considered has new physics at the TeV scale that is invisible, in the first few hundred inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity at the LHC, except indirectly through the measurement of Higgs boson properties.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures V2: refs adde

Factorization and the Soft-Collinear Effective Theory: Color-Suppressed Decays

We discuss the soft-collinear effective theory (SCET) and kinematic expansions in B-decays, focusing on recent results for color suppressed B -> D^(*) X decays. In particular we discuss model independent predictions for B^0 -> D^0 pi^0 and B^0 -> D^*0 pi^0, and update the comparison using new experimental data. We show why HQET alone is insufficient to give these results. SCET predictions are also reviewed for other B and Lambda_b decay channels that are not yet tested by data.Comment: 5 pages, plenary talk given by I.S. at Beauty 200

The Higgs Decay Width in Multi-Scalar Doublet Models

We show that there are regions of parameter space in multi-scalar doublet models where, in the first few hundred inverse femtobarns of data, the new charged and neutral scalars are not directly observable at the LHC and yet the Higgs decay rate to b bbar is changed significantly from its standard model value. For a light Higgs with a mass less than 140 GeV, this can cause a large change in the number of two photon and tau tau Higgs decay events expected at the LHC compared to the minimal standard model. In the models we consider, the principle of minimal flavor violation is used to suppress flavor changing neutral currents. This paper emphasizes the importance of measuring the properties of the Higgs boson at the LHC; for a range of parameters the model considered has new physics at the TeV scale that is invisible, in the first few hundred inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity at the LHC, except indirectly through the measurement of Higgs boson properties.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures V2: refs adde

Transverse Momentum Distributions from Effective Field Theory

We review a new approach to calculating transverse momentum distributions of the Higgs and electroweak gauge bosons using the Soft-Collinear Effective Theory. We derive a factorization theorem for transverse momentum distributions in terms of newly-defined impact-parameter beam functions (iBFs) and an inverse soft function (iSF). The iBFs correspond to completely unintegrated parton distribution functions and provide interesting probes of momentum distributions within nucleons. The numerical matching between the low and high transverse momentum regions is improved in this approach with respect to standard techniques. We present results for next-to-leading logarithmic resummation for the Higgs and Z-boson distributions and give a comparison with Tevatron data.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, Invited Talk presented at the workshop on "QCD Evolution of Parton Distributions: from Collinear to Non-collinear Case", April 8th-9th, 2011, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facilit

New Physics Effects in Higgs Decay to Tau Leptons

We study the possible effects of TeV scale new physics (NP) on the rate for Higgs boson decays to charged leptons, focusing on the tau tau channel which can be readily studied at the Large Hadron collider. Using an SU(3)_C X SU(2)_L X U(1)_Y invariant effective theory valid below a NP scale Lambda, we determine all effective operators up to dimension six that could generate appreciable contributions to the decay rate and compute the dependence of the rate on the corresponding operator coefficients. We bound the size of these operator coefficients based on the scale of the tau mass, naturalness considerations, and experimental constraints on the tau anomalous magnetic moment. These considerations imply that contributions to the decay rate from a NP scale Lambda ~ TeV could be comparable to the prediction based on the SM Yukawa interaction. A reliable test of the Higgs mechanism for fermion mass generation via the h-> tau tau channel is possible only after such NP effects are understood and brought under theoretical control.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, V2: typos correcte

Implications of a scalar dark force for terrestrial experiments

A long-range intergalactic force between dark matter (DM) particles, mediated by an ultralight scalar, is tightly constrained by galactic dynamics and large scale structure formation. We examine the implications of such a ‘‘dark force” for several terrestrial experiments, including Eötvös tests of the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP), direct-detection DM searches, and collider studies. The presence of a dark force implies a nonvanishing effect in Eötvös tests that could be probed by current and future experiments depending on the DM model. For scalar DM that is a singlet under the standard model gauge groups, a dark force of astrophysically relevant magnitude is ruled out in large regions of parameter space by the DM relic density and WEP constraints. WEP tests also imply constraints on the Higgs-exchange contributions to the spin-independent (SI) DM-nucleus direct-detection cross section. For WIMP scenarios, these considerations constrain Higgs-exchange contributions to the SI cross section to be subleading compared to gauge-boson mediated contributions. In multicomponent DM scenarios, a dark force would preclude large shifts in the rate for Higgs decay to two photons associated with DM-multiplet loops that might otherwise lead to measurable deviations at the LHC or a future linear collider. The combination of observations from galactic dynamics, large scale structure formation, Eötvös experiments, DM-direct-detection experiments, and colliders can further constrain the size of new long-range forces in the dark sector