Twin Higgs mechanism and a composite Higgs boson

Abstract

We combine the twin Higgs mechanism with the paradigm of composite Higgs models. In this class of models the Higgs is a pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson from a strongly coupled sector near the TeV scale, and it is additionally protected by a discrete symmetry due to the twin mechanism. We discuss the model-building issues associated with this setup and quantify the tuning needed to achieve the correct electroweak vacuum and the Higgs mass. In contrast to standard composite Higgs models, the lightest resonance associated with the top sector is the uncolored mirror top, while the colored top partners can be made parameterically heavier without extra tuning. In some cases, the vector resonances are predicted to lie in the multi-TeV range. We present models where the resonances---both fermions and vectors---being heavier alleviates the pressure on naturalness coming from direct searches demonstrating that theories with low tuning may survive constraints from the Large Hadron Collider.