Speaker
Description
The Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) offers a model-independent framework to probe new physics. However, conventional "one-operator-at-a-time" analyses often overlook crucial correlations, while global fits face challenges in providing transparent physical interpretations of high-dimensional parameter spaces. We propose an optimized EFT strategy that identifies leading and subleading channels for a given operator set, enabling precise and rapid constraints on Wilson coefficients while lifting parameter degeneracies. We illustrate this EFT approach using three classes of processes: single top production, Higgs decay, and multi-gauge boson production. Leading channels define blind directions in the Wilson coefficient space, where contributions from different operators may cancel, while subleading channels---such as forward-backward asymmetry in single top, signal strengths of $h\to VV$ decay, and electroweak $jjZW$ production---provide complementary sensitivity approximately orthogonal to these blind directions. Our results demonstrate that the LC/SLC strategy not only provides a transparent interpretation of operator correlations, but also establishes a physically motivated strategy for experimental prioritization by identifying the measurements that most effectively lift degeneracies in the Wilson coefficient space.
