Higgs Effective Field Theories - Systematics and Applications

Abstract: We discuss effective field theories (EFTs) for the Higgs particle, which is not necessarily the Higgs of the Standard Model. We distinguish two different consistent expansions: EFTs that describe decoupling new-physics effects and EFTs that describe non-decoupling new-physics effects. We briefly discuss the first case, the SM-EFT. The focus of this thesis is on the non-decoupling EFTs. We argue that the loop expansion is the consistent expansion in the second case. We introduce the concept of chiral dimensions, equivalent to the loop expansion. Using the chiral dimensions, we expand the electroweak chiral Lagrangian up to next-to-leading order, $\mathcal{O}(f^{2}/\Lambda^{2})=\mathcal{O}(1/16\pi^{2})$. We then compare the decoupling and the non-decoupling EFT. We also consider scenarios in which the new-physics sector is non-decoupling at a scale $f$, far above the electroweak-scale $v$. We discuss the relevance of the resulting double expansion in $\xi=v^{2}/f^{2}$ and $f^{2}/\Lambda^{2}$ for the data analysis at the LHC. In the second part, we discuss the applications of the EFTs, especially of the electroweak chiral Lagrangian. First, we connect the EFT with explicit models of new physics. We show how different regions of the parameter space of the same model generate a decoupling and a non-decoupling EFT. Second, we use the expansion at leading order to describe the current LHC Higgs data. We show how the current parametrization of the Higgs data, the $\kappa$-framework, can be justified quantum field theoretically by the EFT. We fit the data of Run-1 (2010--2013). The effective Lagrangian describing this data can be reduced to six free parameters. The result of this fit is consistent with the SM, but it has statistical uncertainties of about ten percent.