NLO corrections to h → b b ¯ $$ \overline{b} $$ decay in SMEFT

Abstract We calculate the full set of next-to-leading order (NLO) corrections to h → b b ¯ $$ \overline{b} $$ decay in the dimension-6 Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT). Our calculation forms the basis for precision studies of this decay mode in effective field theory, providing analytic and numerical results for contributions of the 45 dimension-6 operators appearing at NLO. On the technical side, we discuss several complications in NLO SMEFT computations which have not yet been addressed in the literature. These include subtleties in Higgs-Z mixing, electric charge renormalization, and especially the treatment of tadpoles in SMEFT. In particular, we highlight the role of decoupling relations in eliminating potentially large tadpole corrections to the decay rate in hybrid renormalization schemes which employ the MS ¯ $$ \overline{\mathrm{MS}} $$ scheme for some Standard Model parameters (such as the b-quark mass and electric charge) and the on-shell scheme for others.