The Higgs data and the Decoupling Limit

Abstract

The Higgs data analyzed by the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations suggest that the scalar state discovered in 2012 is a Standard Model (SM)--like Higgs boson. Nevertheless, there is still significant room for Higgs physics beyond the Standard Model. Many approaches to electroweak symmetry breaking possess a decoupling limit in which the properties of the lightest CP-even Higgs scalar approach those of the SM Higgs boson. In some cases, an apparent SM-like Higgs signal can also arise in a regime that may not be governed by the decoupling limit. One such scenario can be realized if the observed Higgs signal is a result of two unresolved nearly-mass-degenerate scalar states. The general two-Higgs doublet model provides a useful framework for studying the decoupling limit and possible departures from SM-like Higgs behavior. The implications for current and future Higgs data are briefly considered.