The Need to Fairly Confront Spin-1 for the New Higgs-like Particle

Abstract

Spin-1 was ruled out early in LHC reports of a new particle with mass near 125 GeV. Actually the spin-1 possibility was dismissed on false premises, and remains open. Model-independent classification based on Lorentz invariance permits nearly two dozen independent amplitudes for spin-1 to two vector particles, of which two remain with on-shell photons. The Landau-Yang theorems are inadequate to eliminate spin-1. Theoretical prejudice to close the gaps is unreliable, and a fair consideration based on experiment is needed. A spin-1 field can produce the resonance structure observed in invariant mass distributions, and also produce the same angular distribution of photons and $ZZ$ decays as spin-0. However spin-0 cannot produce the variety of distributions made by spin-1. The Higgs-like pattern of decay also cannot rule out spin-1 without more analysis. Upcoming data will add information, which should be analyzed giving spin-1 full and unbiased consideration that has not appeared before.