Non-sterile electroweak-scale right-handed neutrinos and the dual nature of the 125-GeV scalar

Abstract

Can, and under which conditions, the 125-GeV SM-like scalar with the signal strengths for its decays into W+W−, ZZ, γγ, bb¯ and ττ¯ being consistent with experiments be accommodated in models that go beyond the Standard Model? Is it truly what it appears to be, namely the SM Higgs boson, or could it be quite different? A minimal extension of the original electroweak-scale right-handed neutrino model, in which right-handed neutrinos naturally obtain electroweak-scale masses, shows a scalar spectrum which includes either the 125-GeV SM-like scalar or a scalar which is quite unlike that of the Standard Model, both of which possess signal strengths compatible with experiment. In other words, the 125-GeV scalar could be an impostor.