AbdusSalam, S. S. et al, & Eberhardt, O. (2022). Simple and statistically sound recommendations for analysing physical theories. Rep. Prog. Phys., 85(5), 052201–11pp.
Abstract: Physical theories that depend on many parameters or are tested against data from many different experiments pose unique challenges to statistical inference. Many models in particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology fall into one or both of these categories. These issues are often sidestepped with statistically unsound ad hoc methods, involving intersection of parameter intervals estimated by multiple experiments, and random or grid sampling of model parameters. Whilst these methods are easy to apply, they exhibit pathologies even in low-dimensional parameter spaces, and quickly become problematic to use and interpret in higher dimensions. In this article we give clear guidance for going beyond these procedures, suggesting where possible simple methods for performing statistically sound inference, and recommendations of readily-available software tools and standards that can assist in doing so. Our aim is to provide any physicists lacking comprehensive statistical training with recommendations for reaching correct scientific conclusions, with only a modest increase in analysis burden. Our examples can be reproduced with the code publicly available at Zenodo.
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Chowdhury, D., & Eberhardt, O. (2018). Update of global Two-Higgs-Doublet model fits. J. High Energy Phys., 05(5), 161–42pp.
Abstract: We perform global fits of Two-Higgs-Doublet models with a softly broken Z(2) symmetry to recent results from the LHC detectors CMS and ATLAS, that is signal strengths and direct search limits obtained at root s = 8 TeV and root s = 13 TeV. We combine all available ATLAS and CMS constraints with the other relevant theoretical and experimental bounds and present the latest limits on the model parameters. We obtain that deviations from the so-called alignment limit beta-alpha = pi/2 cannot be larger than 0.03 in type I and have to be smaller than 0.02 in the remaining three types. For the latter, we also observe lower limits on the heavy Higgs masses in the global fit. The splittings between these masses cannot exceed 200 GeV in the types I and X and 130 GeV in the types II and Y. Finally, we find that the decay widths of the heavy Higgs particles cannot be larger than 7% of their masses if they are lighter than 1.5 TeV.
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de Blas, J., Eberhardt, O., & Krause, C. (2018). Current and future constraints on Higgs couplings in the nonlinear Effective Theory. J. High Energy Phys., 07(7), 048–45pp.
Abstract: We perform a Bayesian statistical analysis of the constraints on the nonlinear Effective Theory given by the Higgs electroweak chiral Lagrangian. We obtain bounds on the effective coefficients entering in Higgs observables at the leading order, using all available Higgs-boson signal strengths from the LHC runs 1 and 2. Using a prior dependence study of the solutions, we discuss the results within the context of natural-sized Wilson coefficients. We further study the expected sensitivities to the different Wilson coefficients at various possible future colliders. Finally, we interpret our results in terms of some minimal composite Higgs models.
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Eberhardt, O., Miralles, V., & Pich, A. (2021). Constraints on coloured scalars from global fits. J. High Energy Phys., 10(10), 123–23pp.
Abstract: We consider a simple extension of the electroweak theory, incorporating one SU(2)(L) doublet of colour-octet scalars with Yukawa couplings satisfying the principle of minimal flavour violation. Using the HEPfit package, we perform a global fit to the available data, including all relevant theoretical constraints, and extract the current bounds on the model parameters. Coloured scalars with masses below 1.05 TeV are already excluded, provided they are not fermiophobic. The mass splittings among the different (charged and CP-even and CP-odd neutral) scalars are restricted to be smaller than 20 GeV. Moreover, for scalar masses smaller than 1.5 TeV, the Yukawa coupling of the coloured scalar multiplet to the top quark cannot exceed the one of the SM Higgs doublet by more than 80%. These conclusions are quite generic and apply in more general frameworks (without fine tunings). The theoretical requirements of perturbative unitarity and vacuum stability enforce relevant constraints on the quartic scalar potential parameters that are not yet experimentally tested.
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Eberhardt, O., Peñuelas, A., & Pich, A. (2021). Global fits in the Aligned Two-Higgs-Doublet model. J. High Energy Phys., 05(5), 005–37pp.
Abstract: We present the results of a global fit to the Aligned Two-Higgs Doublet Model, assuming that there are no new sources of CP violation beyond the quark mixing matrix. We use the most constraining flavour observables, electroweak precision measurements and the available data on Higgs signal strengths and collider searches for heavy scalars, together with the theoretical requirements of perturbativity and positivity of the scalar potential. The combination of all these constraints restricts the values of the scalar masses, the couplings of the scalar potential and the flavour-alignment parameters. The numerical fits have been performed using the open-source HEPfit package.
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