Higgs mass and vacuum stability in the Standard Model at NNLO

Abstract

We present the first complete next-to-next-to-leading order analysis of the Standard Model Higgs potential. We computed the two-loop QCD and Yukawa corrections to the relation between the Higgs quartic coupling (λ) and the Higgs mass (Mh), reducing the theoretical uncertainty in the determination of the critical value of Mh for vacuum stability to 1 GeV. While λ at the Planck scale is remarkably close to zero, absolute stability of the Higgs potential is excluded at 98% C.L. for Mh < 126 GeV. Possible consequences of the near vanishing of λ at the Planck scale, including speculations about the role of the Higgs field during ination, are discussed.