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Light Higgs and vector-like quarks without prejudice

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Abstract

Light vector-like quarks with non-renormalizable couplings to the Higgs are a common feature of models trying to address the electroweak (EW) hierarchy problem by treating the Higgs as a pseudo-goldstone boson of a global (approximate) symmetry. We systematically investigate the implications of the leading dimension five operators on Higgs phenomenology in presence of dynamical up- and down-type weak singlet as well as weak doublet vector-like quarks. After taking into account constraints from precision EW and flavour observables we show that contrary to the renormalizable models, significant modifications of Higgs properties are still possible and could shed light on the role of vector-like quarks in solutions to the EW hierarchy problem. We also briefly discuss implications of higher dimensional operators for direct vector-like quark searches at the LHC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Svjetlana Fajfer, Admir Greljo, Jernej F. Kamenik & Ivana Mustać

  2. Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Svjetlana Fajfer & Jernej F. Kamenik

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  1. Svjetlana Fajfer
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Correspondence to Jernej F. Kamenik.

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Fajfer, S., Greljo, A., Kamenik, J.F. et al. Light Higgs and vector-like quarks without prejudice. J. High Energ. Phys. 2013, 155 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP07(2013)155

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