Discovering Higgs bosons with muons at the LHC

by Chung Kao (University of Oklahoma)

Friday 8 Aug 2003, 14:00 → 15:00 Europe/Zurich

TH Auditorium (CERN)

The prospects for the discovery of neutral Higgs bosons ($\\phi^0 = H^0, h^0, A^0$) produced with bottom quarks via Higgs decays into muon pairs ($pp \\to b\\bar{b}\\phi^0 \\to b\\bar{b}\\mu\\bar{\\mu} +X$) at the CERN LHC are investigated in the minimal supersymmetric model. The dominant physics background in the Standard Model is calculated with realistic acceptance cuts. This discovery mode has a simple production mechanism from $gg \\to b\\bar{b}\\phi^0$ with its cross section proportional to \\$1/ \\cos^2\\beta$ and could provide an opportunity to measure $ \\tan\\beta$ and the $b\\bar{b}\\phi^0$ couplings. In addition, we compare the associated discovery mode above with the inclusive discovery channel $pp \\to \\phi^0 \\to \\mu\\bar{\\mu} +X$. Promising results are found for the CP-odd pseudoscalar ($A^0$) and the heavier CP-even scalar ($H^0$) Higgs bosons for $ \\tan\\beta \\equiv v_2/v_1 \\agt 14$ and $m_A,m_H \\alt$ 325 GeV. Furthermore, I will discuss the discovery potential of the inclusive final state with Higgs decays into muon pairs for neutral Higgs bosons in the minimal supergravity model. Promising results are found for the CP-odd pseudoscalar ($A^0$) and the heavier CP-even scalar ($H^0$) Higgs bosons at large $ \\tan\\beta \\equiv v_2/v_1$. For $ \\tan\\beta \\agt 10$ and 100 GeV $\\alt m_A,m_H \\alt$ 550 GeV, the $A^0$ and the $H^0$ masses could be precisely reconstructed from the dimuon invariant mass.