A General Higgs Sector: Constraints and Phenomenology

Abstract

We have investigated some phenomenological aspects of an $SU(2)\times U(1)$ scenario where scalars belonging to arbitrary representations of $SU(2)$ are involved in electroweak symmetry breaking. The resulting interaction terms are derived. Some constraints are obtained on the arbitrary scalar sector from the requirement of tree-level unitarity in longitudinal gauge boson scattering. We also show that, in cases where the scalars ensure $\rho=1$ at tree-level, useful restrictions on their parameter space follow from precision measurements of the $Zb\bar b$ vertex. Finally, some salient features about the production of such Higgs bosons in $e^+e^-$ collision are discussed.