We demonstrate how the measurements of the Higgs-fermion and Higgs-gauge
boson couplings can be interpreted in terms of physics beyond the Standard
Model in a model-independent way. That is, we describe deviations from the
Standard Model by effective d=6 operators made of Higgs fields and gauge
fields, under the hypothesis that the new physics may show up in the Higgs
sector only and the effective operators are generated at tree level. While the
effective operator coefficients are independent in general, the completion of
the theory at high energies will lead to specific correlations which will be
recovered between Higgs-fermion and Higgs-gauge boson couplings. We demonstrate
that the current measurement of these couplings in terms of tree-level new
physics requires several new mediators with specific relationships among
different couplings. New insights in the effective theory and mediator spaces
can be expected for improved measurements from the inclusive H→ττ and the exclusive vector boson fusion-dominated H→γγ search channels, as well as the measurement of the Higgs
self-couplings, including higher order couplings which do not exist in the
Standard Model.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures; v2: some discussions extended, conclusions
unchanged; version to appear in PR