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Harnessing Higgs boson kinematics for HEFT constraints

Christoph Englert1,*, Tom Ingebretsen Carlson2,†, Jörgen Sjölin2,‡, and Michael Spannowsky3,§

  • *Contact author: christoph.englert@glasgow.ac.uk
  • †Contact author: tom.ingebretsen-carlson@fysik.su.se
  • ‡Contact author: sjolin@fysik.su.se
  • §Contact author: michael.spannowsky@durham.ac.uk
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Phys. Rev. D 112, 035039 – Published 28 August, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/5s8n-6w8s

Abstract

We present a momentum-dependent reweighting strategy to extend current LHC di-Higgs analyses within the κ framework and Standard Model effective field theory into the bosonic sector of the Higgs effective field theory (HEFT). Unlike Standard Model effective field theory, where symmetry constraints tightly correlated multi-Higgs processes, HEFT allows for a broader range of momentum-dependent deviations that can substantially impact di-Higgs kinematics and offer a powerful probe of nonlinear Higgs dynamics. We generalize the interpretation of existing experimental analyses by integrating HEFT operators up to chiral dimension 4 into differential Monte Carlo reweighting. We quantify the sensitivity to representative HEFT operators using multidimensional likelihoods for Run 3 and project the reach at the high-luminosity LHC. Particular emphasis is placed on how different exclusive final states, such as bb¯bb¯ and bb¯γγ, respond to momentum enhancements and how their complementary event selections drive exclusion limits. We further explore how rare final states, especially four-top production, can provide orthogonal constraints on HEFT-induced modifications, thereby enhancing global sensitivity to new physics effects in the Higgs sector.

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Phys. Rev. D 112, 035039– Published 28 August, 2025
  • Received 9 July 2025
  • Accepted 10 August 2025
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