A scale-invariant Higgs sector and structure of the vacuum

Abstract

Abstract

In view of the current status of measured Higgs boson properties, we consider a question whether only the Higgs self-interactions can deviate significantly from the Standard-Model (SM) predictions. This may be possible if the Higgs effective potential is irregular at the origin. As an example we investigate an extended Higgs sector with singlet scalar(s) and classical scale invariance. We develop a perturbative formulation necessary to analyze this model in detail. The behavior of a phenomenologically valid potential in the perturbative regime is studied around the electroweak scale. We reproduce known results: the Higgs self-interactions are substantially stronger than the SM predictions, while the Higgs interactions with other SM particles are barely changed. We further predict that the interactions of singlet scalar(s), which is a few to several times heavier than the Higgs boson, tend to be fairly strong. If probed, these features will provide vivid clues to the structure of the vacuum. We also examine Veltman's condition for the Higgs boson mass.