The standard model process e^ + e^ - \to \nu \bar \nu b\bar b and its Higgs signal at LEP II

We present and study the results for the standard model process $e^ + e^ - \to \nu \bar \nu b\bar b$ at c.m. energies 150 ≤ √s(GeV) ≤ 240 and for Higgs boson masses 60 GeV ≤ m _H ≤ 110 GeV, obtained from all tree-level diagrams and including the most important radiative corrections. The matrix elements have been calculated by the ‘spinor bracket’ method without neglecting masses, which is presented in detail. The √s-dependence and the interference properties of the Higgs boson contributions and of various coherent background contributions to the total cross section are examined and compared. The important differential distributions for the Higgs boson and the background components are studied, providing information useful for choosing cuts in Higgs searches. We also examine the effect of a minimal set of cuts and evaluate the importance of the WW fusion for detecting a higher mass Higgs boson at LEP II.     

Higgs bosons in the simplest SUSY models

Nowadays, in the MSSM, the moderate values of tan β are almost excluded by the LEP II lower bound on the mass of the lightest Higgs boson. In the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model (NMSSM), the theoretical upper bound on it increases and reaches a maximal value in the limit of strong Yukawa coupling, where all solutions to renormalization-group equations are concentrated near the quasifixed point. For a calculation of the Higgs boson spectrum, the perturbation-theory method can be applied. We investigate the particle spectrum within the modified NMSSM, which leads to the self-consistent solution in the limit of strong Yukawa coupling. This model allows one to get m _h～125 GeV at tan β≥1.9. In the model under investigation, the mass of the lightest Higgs boson does not exceed 130.5±3.5 GeV. The upper bound on the mass of the lightest CP-even Higgs boson in more complicated supersymmetric models is also discussed.     

Search for neutral Higgs bosons in Z0 decays using the OPAL detector at LEP

A search for neutral Higgs bosons has been performed using the full sample of Z⁰ decays collected by the OPAL detector at LEP up to 1995. The data were taken at centre-of-mass energies between 88 GeV and 95 GeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of approximately 160 pb^?1. The present search addresses the processes Z⁰→H⁰Z* and h⁰Z*, where H⁰ is the Higgs boson predicted by the Standard Model and h⁰ the lightest neutral scalar Higgs boson predicted in the framework of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. For the virtual Z⁰ boson, Z*, the following decay channels are considered: Z*→vv?, e⁺e^? and μ⁺μ^?. Two candidate events have been found in the vv?H⁰ channel and one in the μ⁺μ^?H⁰ channel. Combined with earlier searches, the present search excludes the SM Higgs boson, at the 95% confidence level (CL), from the mass range below 59.6 GeV. In the framework of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, allowing a wide range of variation for most relevant model parameters, a 95% CL lower limit of 44.3 GeV is obtained for the mass of the h⁰ boson. Combined with earlier direct searches for the Higgs boson pair production process Z⁰→h⁰A⁰ and with measurements of the Z⁰ line shape, a 95% CL lower limit of 23.5 GeV is obtained for the mass of the pseudoscalar Higgs boson A⁰, assuming tan β≥ 1.     

t\bar{t}H\to t\bar{t}\tau^{+}\tau^{-} —toward the measurement of the top-Yukawa coupling

One of the main goals of the ATLAS experiment is to measure various Higgs boson couplings as accurately as possible. Such a measurement is mandatory for a full understanding of the Higgs sector. One of the most challenging measurements of the Higgs boson properties is the determination of the Yukawa coupling to the top quark. To complement the $t\bar {t}H\rightarrow t\bar {t}\ensuremath {\mathit {b}\bar {\mathit {b}}}$ channel, which is the most significant in the low Higgs mass region (m _H ～120 GeV), we introduce a feasibility study of the $t\bar {t}H$ channel with the Higgs decaying to a pair of τ leptons. The signal events were reconstructed using the full and the fast simulation of the ATLAS detector. It is shown that both the distributions and the number of expected events after the same cuts agree, and that we can use the fast simulation to complete the analysis. We obtain a significance of 1.6σ for the low luminosity condition (30 fb^?1) and m _H =120 GeV, and 2.0σ for the high luminosity condition (300 fb^?1) and m _H =120 GeV. The observability of Higgs boson in this channel is demonstrated to be very marginal, even in the absence of taking into account $t\bar {t}+\mathrm{jets}$ .     

Search for neutral Higgs bosons in CP-conserving and CP-violating MSSM scenarios

This report summarizes the final results from the OPAL collaboration on searches for neutral Higgs bosons predicted by the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). CP-conserving and, for the first time at LEP, CP-violating scenarios are studied. New scenarios are also included, which aim to set the stage for Higgs searches at future colliders. The results are based on the data collected with the OPAL detector at e ⁺ e^- centre-of-mass energies up to 209 GeV. The data are consistent with the prediction of the Standard Model with no Higgs boson produced. Model-independent limits are derived for the cross-sections of a number of event topologies motivated by predictions of the MSSM. Limits on Higgs boson masses and other MSSM parameters are obtained for a number of representative MSSM benchmark scenarios. For example, in the CP-conserving scenario m _h-max where the MSSM parameters are adjusted to predict the largest range of values for m _h at each , and for a top quark mass of 174.3 GeV, the domain is excluded at the 95% confidence level and Higgs boson mass limits of m _h > 84.5 GeV and m _A > 85.0 GeV are obtained. For the CP-violating benchmark scenario CPX which, by construction, enhances the CP-violating effects in the Higgs sector, the domain is excluded but no universal limit can be set on the Higgs boson masses.Received: 6 April 2004, Revised: 8 June 2004, Published online: 12 August 2004     

Particle spectrum in the modified nonminimal supersymmetric standard model in the strong Yukawa coupling regime

A theoretical analysis of solutions of renormalization group equations in the minimal supersymmetric standard model, which lead to a quasi-fixed point has shown that the mass of the lightest Higgs boson in these models does not exceed 94 ± 5 GeV. This implies that a considerable part of the parameter space in the minimal supersymmetric model is in fact eliminated by existing LEPII experimental data. In the nonminimal supersymmetric standard model the upper bound on the mass of the lightest Higgs boson reaches its maximum in the strong Yukawa coupling regime when the Yukawa constants are substantially greater than the gauge constants on the grand unification scale. In the present paper the particle spectrum is studied using the simplest modification of the nonminimal supersymmetric standard model which gives a self-consistent solution in this region of parameter space. This model can give m _h ～ 125 GeV even for comparatively low values of β ≥ 1.9. The spectrum of Higgs bosons and neutralinos is analyzed using the method of diagonalizing mass matrices proposed earlier. In this model the mass of the lightest Higgs boson does not exceed 130.5 ± 3.5 GeV.     

The light Higgs window in the 2HDM at GigaZ

The sensitivity to a light Higgs boson in the general 2HDM (II), with a mass below 40 GeV, is estimated for a future Linear Collider operating with a very high luminosity at the Z peak (GigaZ). We consider possible Higgs boson production via the Bjorken process, the (hA) pair production, the Yukawa process , and the decay . Although the discovery potential is considerably extended compared to the current sensitivities, mainly from LEP, the existence of a h or A even with a mass of a few GeV cannot be excluded with two billion Z decays. The need to study the very light Higgs scenario at a Linear Collider running at several hundred GeV and the LHC is emphasized. Received: 18 September 2000 / Revised version: 22 December 2000 / Published online: 15 March 2001     

Higgs and supersymmetry

Global frequentist fits to the CMSSM and NUHM1 using the MasterCode framework predicted M _h ?119 GeV in fits incorporating the (g?2) _μ constraint and ?126 GeV without it. Recent results by ATLAS and CMS could be compatible with a Standard Model-like Higgs boson around M _h ?125 GeV. We use the previous MasterCode analysis to calculate the likelihood for a measurement of any nominal Higgs mass within the range of 115 to 130 GeV. Assuming a Higgs mass measurement at M _h ?125 GeV, we display updated global likelihood contours in the (m ₀,m _1/2) and other parameter planes of the CMSSM and NUHM1, and present updated likelihood functions for $m_{\tilde{g}}, m_{\tilde{q}_{R}}We perform a determination of the strong coupling constant using the latest ATLAS inclusive jet cross section data, from proton?Cproton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7~\mathrm{TeV}$ , and their full information on the bin-to-bin correlations. Several procedures for combining the statistical information from the different data inputs are studied and compared. The theoretical prediction is obtained using NLO QCD, and it also includes non-perturbative corrections. Our determination uses inputs with transverse momenta between 45 and 600?GeV, the running of the strong coupling being also tested in this range. Good agreement is observed when comparing our result with the world average at the Z-boson scale, as well as with the most recent results from the Tevatron.     

The fourth Standard Model family and the competition in Standard Model Higgs boson search at Tevatron and LHC

The impact of the fourth Standard Model family on Higgs boson search at Tevatron and LHC is reviewed. The enhancement due to a fourth SM family in the production of Higgs boson via gluon fusion already enables the Tevatron experiments to become sensitive to Higgs masses between 140 and 200 GeV and could increase this sensitivity up to about 300 GeV until the LHC is in shape. The same effect could enable the LHC running even at 7 TeV center of mass energy to scan Higgs masses between 200 and 300 GeV only with a few hundred pb^?1 of integrated luminosity.     

Non-anomalous discrete R-symmetry, extra matters, and enhancement of the lightest SUSY Higgs mass

We consider low-energy supersymmetric model with non-anomalous discrete R-symmetry. To make the R-symmetry non-anomalous, we add new particles to the particle content of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM). Those new particles may couple to the Higgs boson, resulting in a significant enhancement of the lightest Higgs mass. We show that, in such a model, the lightest Higgs mass can be much larger than the MSSM upper bound; the lightest Higgs mass as large as 140 GeV (or larger) becomes possible.     

Interpreting the LHC Higgs search results in the MSSM

Recent results reported by the ATLAS and CMS experiments on the search for a SM-like Higgs boson both show an excess for a Higgs mass near 125 GeV, which is mainly driven by the γγ   and ZZ^?$Z{Z}^{?}$ decay channels, but also receives some support from channels with a lower mass resolution. We discuss the implications of this possible signal within the context of the minimal supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), taking into account previous limits from Higgs searches at LEP, the Tevatron and the LHC. The consequences for the remaining MSSM parameter space are investigated. Under the assumption of a Higgs signal we derive new lower bounds on the tree-level parameters of the MSSM Higgs sector. We also discuss briefly an alternative interpretation of the excess in terms of the heavy CP-even Higgs boson, a scenario which is found to be still viable.     

Constraints on the MSSM from the Higgs sector

We discuss the constraints on supersymmetry in the Higgs sector arising from LHC searches, rare B decays and dark matter direct detection experiments. We show that constraints derived on the mass of the lightest h ⁰ and the CP-odd A ⁰ bosons from these searches are covering a larger fraction of the SUSY parameter space compared to searches for strongly interacting supersymmetric particle partners. We discuss the implications of a mass determination for the lightest Higgs boson in the range 123<M _h <127?GeV, inspired by the intriguing hints reported by the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations, as well as those of a non-observation of the lightest Higgs boson for MSSM scenarios not excluded at the end of 2012 by LHC and direct dark matter searches and their implications on LHC SUSY searches.     

Light dark matter in NMSSM and implication on Higgs phenomenology

For the experimental search of neutralino dark matter, it is important to know its allowed mass and scattering cross section with the nucleon. In order to figure out how light a neutralino dark matter can be predicted in low energy supersymmetry, we scan over the parameter space of the NMSSM (next-to-minimal supersymmetric model), assuming all the relevant soft mass parameters to be below TeV scale. We find that in the parameter space allowed by current experiments the neutralino dark matter can be as light as a few GeV and its scattering rate off the nucleon can reach the sensitivity of XENON100 and CoGeNT. As a result, a sizable parameter space is excluded by the current XENON100 and CoGeNT data (the plausible CoGeNT dark matter signal can also be explained). The future 6000 kg-days exposure of XENON100 will further explore (but cannot completely cover) the remained parameter space. Moreover, we find that in such a light dark matter scenario a light CP-even or CP-odd Higgs boson must be present to satisfy the measured dark matter relic density. Consequently, the SM-like Higgs boson hSM may decay predominantly into a pair of light Higgs bosons or a pair of neutralinos so that the conventional decays like hSM→γγ is much suppressed.     

Rare decays B0s,d→l+l－ in a top quark two-Higgs-doublet model

In the framework of T2HDM, we calculated the new physics contributions involving neutral Higgs bosons to the branching ratios of B⁰_s,d→l⁺l^－ (l=e, μ) decays. Comparing the theoretical predictions with the experimental upper-limits, we found that (a) The data of Br(B⁰_d→l⁺l^－) give the upper bound on tanβ: tanβ≤22, while Br(B⁰_s→l⁺l^－) give tanβ≤12 for fixed δ=0°, m_H+=350 GeV, m_H0=160 GeV, m_h0=115 GeV and m_A0=120 GeV; (b) A light neutral Higgs boson mass m_h0 (m_A0) less than 50 GeV (120 GeV) is excluded by the data of branching ratios for B⁰_s,d→l⁺l^－(l=μ) decays with tanβ=10; (c) The bounds on m_h0 and tanβ, or m_A0 and tanβ are strongly correlated: a smaller (larger) tanβ means a lighter (heavier) neutral Higgs boson.

     

Four weak gauge boson production at photon linear collider and heavy Higgs signal

We study the signals and backgrounds for a heavy Higgs boson in the processes γγ → WWWW, γ → WWZZ at the proton linear collider. The results are based on the complete tree-level SM calculation for these reactions. We show that the invariant mass spectrum of central WW, ZZ pairs is sensitive to the signal from Higgs boson with a mass up to 1 TeV linear collider for integrated luminosity of 300 fb⁻¹. At 1.5 TeV PLC Higgs boson with a mass up to 700 GeV can be studied. The nonresonant longitudinal gauge boson scattering (m_H = ∞) can be detected in photon-photon collisions at e⁺e⁻ center-of-mass energy of 3 TeV.     

Non-renormalizable Yukawa interactions and Higgs physics

We explore a scenario in the Standard Model in which dimension-four Yukawa couplings are forbidden by a symmetry, and the Yukawa interactions are dominated by effective dimension-six interactions. In this case, the Higgs interactions to the fermions are enhanced in a large way, whereas its interaction with the gauge bosons remains the same as in the Standard Model. In hadron colliders, Higgs boson production via gluon-gluon fusion increases by a factor of nine. Higgs decay widths to fermion-antifermion pairs also increase by the same factor, whereas the decay widths to photon-photon and γZ are reduced. Current Tevatron exclusion range for the Higgs mass increases to ∼146-222 GeV in our scenario, and new physics must appear at a scale below a TeV.     

Higgs boson searches at the Tevatron

This article reviews the Higgs searches at the Tevatron, as presented over the summer of 2012; both standard model (SM) and beyond the standard model (BSM) results are discussed as detailed (arXiv: 1207.0449; Phys. Rev. Lett., 2012, 109: 071804; Phys. Rev. D, 2012, 85: 032005). We discuss the combination of searches by the CDF and D0 Collaborations for the standard model Higgs boson in the mass range 100–200 GeV/c ² produced in the the gg → H, WH, ZH, t{ie27-1}H, and vector boson fusion production modes, and decaying in the H → b{ie27-2}, H → W ⁺ W ^?, H → ZZ, H → τ ⁺ τ ^?, and H → γγ modes. The data, collected at the Fermilab Tevatron collider in p{ie27-3} collisions at {ie27-4} TeV, correspond to integrated luminosities of up to 10 fb^?1. In the absence of signal, we expect to exclude the regions 100<m _H < 120 GeV/c ² and 139<m _H < 184 GeV/c ². We exclude, at the 95% C.L., two regions: 100<m _H < 103 GeV/c ², and 147<m _H < 180 GeV/c ². We observe a significant excess of events in the mass range between 115 and 140 GeV/c ². The local significance corresponds to 3.0 standard deviations at m _H = 120 GeV/c ²; the global significance (incorporating the look-elsewhere effect) for such an excess anywhere in the full mass range investigated is approximately 2.5 standard deviations. Furthermore, we separately combine searches for H → b{ie27-5}, H → W+W ^? and H → γγ. We find that the excess is concentrated in the H → b{ie27-6} channel, appearing in the searches over a broad range of m _H ; the maximum local significance of 3.3 standard deviations corresponds to a global significance of approximately 3.1 standard deviations. The observed signal strengths in all channels are consistent with the expectation for a standard model Higgs boson at m _H = 125 GeV/c ². The production of neutral Higgs bosons in association with b-quarks can be significantly enhanced in various beyond the standard model scenarios, including Supersymmetry. The recent combination of such searches from the two collaborations is discussed.     

Radiative corrections to Higgs production by e+e−→ZH in the Weinberg-Salam model

We present a complete analysis of the one-loop radiative corrections to the associated production of a Higgs boson (H) and a neutral vector boson (Z) in e⁺e^? annihilation up to energies and Higgs-boson masses of 1 TeV. In the region of interest for future experiments E ? 200 GeV (m_H ? 100 GeV) we find corrections of +25% which are essentially cancelled by soft-photon effects. The latter amount to ?31% for an electron counter resolution of 0.1.