HiggsSignals-2: probing new physics with precision Higgs measurements in the LHC 13 TeV era

The program HiggsSignals confronts the predictions of models with arbitrary Higgs sectors with the available Higgs signal rate and mass measurements, resulting in a likelihood estimate. A new version of the program, HiggsSignals-2, is presented that contains various improvements in its functionality and applicability. In particular, the new features comprise improvements in the theoretical input framework and the handling of possible complexities of beyond-the-SM Higgs sectors, as well as the incorporation of experimental results in the form of simplified template cross section (STXS) measurements. The new functionalities are explained, and a thorough discussion of the possible statistical interpretations of the HiggsSignals results is provided. The performance of HiggsSignals is illustrated for some example analyses. In this context the importance of public information on certain experimental details like efficiencies and uncertainty correlations is pointed out. HiggsSignals is continuously updated to the latest experimental results and can be obtained at https://gitlab.com/higgsbounds/higgssignals.

Automated summary

HiggsSignals is a program that confronts model predictions with available Higgs signal rate and mass measurements, resulting in likelihood estimates. The new version, HiggsSignals-2, includes improvements in handling template cross section measurements and statistical interpretations. The performance of HiggsSignals is illustrated with example analyses, highlighting the importance of public information on experimental details.