Benchmarks for Higgs Effective Theory: Extended Higgs Sectors

Abstract: Precise measurements of SM particles properties at the LHC allows to look for heavy New Physics in the context of an Effective Field Theory (EFT). These searches, however, often rely on kinematic regions where the validity of the EFT may be compromised. In this paper we propose to address this issue by comparing with benchmark models. The connection between models and their manifestations as EFTs at low energies allows us to quantify the breakdown of the EFT, and describe ways to combine different sources of constraints beyond Higgs physics. To illustrate these techniques, in this paper we propose a set of benchmark models based on extensions of the Higgs sector, namely the inclusion of a singlet, a dilaton and generic 2HDMs. We obtain the matching between these models and the EFT involving the Higgs, electroweak bosons and fermions. We then describe current and future indirect and direct constraints, consider the effect of correlations among the coefficients within models, and discuss the validity of the EFT.