Higgs boson searches in CP-conserving and CP-violating MSSM scenarios with the DELPHI detector

This paper presents the final interpretation of the results from DELPHI on the searches for Higgs bosons in the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (MSSM). A few representative scenarios are considered, that include CP conservation and explicit CP violation in the Higgs sector. The experimental results encompass the searches for neutral Higgs bosons at LEP1 and LEP2 in final states as expected in the MSSM, as well as LEP2 searches for charged Higgs bosons and for neutral Higgs bosons decaying into hadrons independent of the quark flavour. The data reveal no significant excess with respect to background expectations. The results are translated into excluded regions of the parameter space in the various scenarios. In the CP-conserving case, these lead to limits on the masses of the lightest scalar and pseudoscalar Higgs bosons, h and A, and on tanβ. The dependence of these limits on the top quark mass is discussed. Allowing for CP violation reduces the experimental sensitivity to Higgs bosons. It is shown that this effect depends strongly on the values of the parameters responsible for CP violation in the Higgs sector.     

The search for Higgs particles at high-energy colliders: Past,present and future

I briefly review the Higgs sector in the standard model (SM) and its minimal aupersymmetric extension, the MSSM. After summarizing the properties of the Higgs bosons and the present experimental constraints, I will discuss the prospects for discovering these particle at the upgraded Tevatron, the large hadron collider (LHC) and a high-energye ⁺ e ⁻ linear collider. The possibility of studying the properties of the Higgs particles will be then summarized.     

Higgs phenomenology of the supersymmetric model with a gauge singlet

We discuss the Higgs sector of the supersymmetric standard model extended by a gauge singlet for the range of parameters, which is compatible with universal soft supersymmetry breaking terms at the GUT scale. We present results for the masses, couplings and decay properties of the lightest Higgs bosons, in particular with regard to Higgs boson searches at LEP. The prospects differ significantly from the ones within the MSSM.     

Charged and neutral minimal supersymmetric standard model Higgs boson decays and measurement of tan <Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis> at the compact linear collider

The minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model (MSSM) predicts the existence of new charged and neutral Higgs bosons. The pair creation of these new particles at the multi-TeV e ⁺ e ⁻ compact linear collider (CLIC), followed by decays into standard model particles, were simulated along with the corresponding background. High-energy beam-beam effects such as ISR, beamstrahlung and hadronic background were included. We have investigated the possibility of using the ratio between the number of events found in various decay channels to determine the MSSM parameter tan β and we have derived the corresponding statistical error from the uncertainties on the measured cross-sections and Higgs boson masses.      

Study of charged and neutral minimal supersymmetric standard model Higgs boson decays and measurement of tan <Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis> at the compact linear collider

The minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model (MSSM) predicts the existence of new charged and neutral Higgs bosons. The pair creation of these new particles at the multi-TeV e ⁺ e ⁻ compact linear collider (CLIC), followed by decays into standard model particles, were simulated along with the corresponding background. High-energy beam-beam effects such as ISR, beamstrahlung and hadronic background were included. We have investigated the possibility of using the ratio between the number of events found in various decay channels to determine the MSSM parameter tan β and we have derived the corresponding statistical error from the uncertainties on the measured cross-sections and Higgs boson masses.      

LEP Higgs boson searches beyond the standard model and minimum supersymmetric standard model

Ever since the center-of-mass energy was increased in 1995 above the Zℴ resonance, the four LEP experiments (ALEPH, DELPHI, OPAL and L3) have renewed their effort to search for the Higgs boson. Data taking ended in the year 2000 with about 130 pb⁻¹ of data collected per experiment above 206 GeV ine ⁺ e ⁻¹ collisions but the data analysis is still very active. Most recently, the wealth of theoretical models and predictions has stimulated new analyses and model interpretations which go beyond the standard model and minimal supersymmetric standard model. These include the searches for charged Higgs bosons, models with two Higgs field doublets, searches for ‘fermiophobic’ Higgs decay, invisible Higgs boson decays, decay-mode independent searches, and limits on Yukawa and anomalous Higgs couplings. I review the searches done by the four LEP experiments and present the LEP combined results when they exist.     

MSSM Higgs boson searches at the Tevatron and the LHC: Impact of different benchmark scenarios

The Higgs boson search has shifted from LEP2 to the Tevatron and will subsequently move to the LHC. The current limits from the Tevatron and the prospective sensitivities at the LHC are often interpreted in specific MSSM scenarios. For heavy Higgs boson production and subsequent decay into or τ⁺τ^–, the present Tevatron data allow one to set limits in the M_A–tan β plane for small M_A and large tan β values. Similar channels have been explored for the LHC, where the discovery reach extends to higher values of M_A and smaller tan β. Searches for MSSM charged Higgs bosons, produced in top decays or in association with top quarks, have also been investigated at the Tevatron and the LHC. We analyze the current Tevatron limits and prospective LHC sensitivities. We discuss how robust they are with respect to variations of the other MSSM parameters and possible improvements of the theoretical predictions for Higgs boson production and decay. It is shown that the inclusion of supersymmetric radiative corrections to the production cross sections and decay widths leads to important modifications of the present limits on the MSSM parameter space. The impact on the region where only the lightest MSSM Higgs boson can be detected at the LHC is also analyzed. We propose to extend the existing benchmark scenarios by including additional values of the higgsino mass parameter μ. This affects only slightly the search channels for a SM-like Higgs boson, while having a major impact on the searches for non-standard MSSM Higgs bosons.     

Triple and quartic interactions of Higgs bosons in the two-Higgs-doublet model with <Emphasis Type="Italic">CP</Emphasis>-violation

We consider the two-Higgs-doublet model with explicit CP-violation, where the effective Higgs potential is not CP-invariant at the tree level. The three neutral Higgs bosons of the model are the mixtures of CP-even and CP-odd bosons which exist in the CP-conserving limit of the theory. The mass spectrum and tree-level couplings of the neutral Higgs bosons to gauge bosons and fermions are significantly dependent on the parameters of the Higgs boson mixing matrix. We calculate the Higgs-gauge boson, Higgs-fermion, triple and quartic Higgs self-interactions in the MSSM with explicit CP-violation in the Higgs sector and CP-violating Yukawa interactions of the third generation scalar quarks. In some regions of the MSSM parameter space substantial changes of the self-interaction vertices take place, leading to significant suppression or enhancement of the multiple Higgs boson production cross sections. Received: 13 June 2002 / Revised version: 20 November 2002 / Published online: 14 March 2003     

On MSSM charged Higgs-boson production in association with an electroweak W boson at electron–positron colliders

We present a calculation of the cross section for the process e⁺e^-→W^±H^∓ in the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) and the two Higgs doublet model (THDM). We study the basic features of the MSSM prediction for some distinctive parameter scenarios. We find large effects from virtual third-generation squarks for scenarios with large mixing, which can lead to a cross section vastly different from a THDM with identical Higgs sector parameters. We investigate this interesting behaviour in more detail by thoroughly scanning the MSSM parameter space for regions of large cross section. For a charged Higgs boson too heavy to be pair produced at a future high-energy electron–positron collider it turns out that a large MSSM cross section with a good chance of observation is linked to a squark mass scale below 600 GeV and a considerable amount of mixing in either the stop and sbottom sector.     

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     

BSM Higgs physics in the exclusive forward proton mode at the LHC

We investigate the prospects for Central Exclusive Diffractive (CED) production of BSM Higgs bosons at the LHC using forward proton detectors installed at 220 m and 420 m distance around ATLAS and/or CMS. We update a previous analysis for the MSSM taking into account improvements in the theoretical calculations and the most recent exclusion bounds from the Tevatron. We extend the MSSM analysis to new benchmark scenarios that are in agreement with the cold dark matter relic abundance and other precision measurements. We analyze the exclusive production of Higgs bosons in a model with a fourth generation of fermions. Finally, we comment on the determination of Higgs spin–parity and coupling structures at the LHC and show that the forward proton mode could provide crucial information on the CP\mathcal{CP} properties of the Higgs bosons.     

Studying the MSSM Higgs sector by forward proton tagging at the LHC

We show that the use of forward proton detectors at the LHC installed at 220 m and 420 m distance around ATLAS and/or CMS can provide important information on the Higgs sector of the MSSM. We analyse central exclusive production of the neutral -even Higgs bosons h and H and their decays into bottom quarks, τ leptons and W bosons in various MSSM benchmark scenarios. Using plausible estimates for the achievable experimental efficiencies and the relevant background processes, we find that the prospective sensitivity of the diffractive Higgs production will allow one to probe interesting regions of the M_A–tanβ parameter plane of the MSSM. Central exclusive production of the -even Higgs bosons of the MSSM may provide a unique opportunity to access the bottom Yukawa couplings of the Higgs bosons up to masses of M_H≲ 250 GeV. We also discuss the prospects for identifying the -odd Higgs boson, A, in diffractive processes at the LHC.     

Search for neutral MSSM Higgs bosons at LEP

The four LEP collaborations, ALEPH, DELPHI, L3 and OPAL, have searched for the neutral Higgs bosons which are predicted by the Minimal Supersymmetric standard model (MSSM). The data of the four collaborations are statistically combined and examined for their consistency with the background hypothesis and with a possible Higgs boson signal. The combined LEP data show no significant excess of events which would indicate the production of Higgs bosons. The search results are used to set upper bounds on the cross-sections of various Higgs-like event topologies. The results are interpreted within the MSSM in a number of “benchmark” models, including CP-conserving and CP-violating scenarios. These interpretations lead in all cases to large exclusions in the MSSM parameter space. Absolute limits are set on the parameter cosβ and, in some scenarios, on the masses of neutral Higgs bosons.     

Final results from DELPHI on the searches for SM and MSSM neutral Higgs bosons

These final results from DELPHI searches for the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson, together with benchmark scans of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) neutral Higgs bosons, used data taken at centre-of-mass energies between 200 and 209 GeV with a total integrated luminosity of 224 pb^-1. The data from 192 to 202 GeV are reanalysed with improved b-tagging for MSSM final states decaying to four b-quarks. The 95% confidence level lower mass bound on the Standard Model Higgs boson is 114.1 GeV/c ². Limits are also given on the lightest scalar and pseudo-scalar Higgs bosons of the MSSM.Received: 7 March 2003, Revised: 30 September 2003, Published online: 3 December 2003     

The Higgs mass beyond the CMSSM

The recent discovery of a new boson at the LHC, which resembles a SM-like Higgs boson with m _h =125 GeV, is starting to provide strong guidelines into SUSY model building. For instance, the identification of such a state with the lightest CP-even Higgs boson of the MSSM (h ⁰), requires large values of tanβ and/or heavy sfermions. One outcome of this result is the possibility to solve the SUSY flavor and CP problems by decoupling, which points towards some realization of Split-inspired SUSY scenarios, in which scalars are much heavier than gauginos and higgsinos. However, we argue here that the remaining Higgs bosons of the MSSM (H ⁰, A ⁰, H ^±) do not have to be as heavy as the sfermions, and having them with masses near the EW scale does not pose any conflict with current MSSM constraints. We discuss then some SUSY scenarios with heavy sfermions, from a bottom-up approach, which contain the full Higgs sector, as well as a possible dark matter candidate, with masses near the EW scale, and identify distinctive signals from these scenarios that could be searched at the LHC.     

The Higgs sector of the minimal <Emphasis Type="Italic">B</Emphasis>−<Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis> model at future Linear Colliders

We investigate the phenomenology of the Higgs sector of the minimal B−L extension of the Standard Model at a future e ⁺ e ⁻ Linear Collider. We consider the discovery potential of both a sub-TeV and a multi-TeV machine. We show that, within such a theoretical scenario, several novel production and decay channels involving the two physical Higgs states, precluded at the LHC, could experimentally be accessed at such machines. Amongst these, several Higgs signatures have very distinctive features with respect to those of other models with enlarged Higgs sector, as they involve interactions of Higgs bosons between themselves, with Z′ bosons as well as with heavy neutrinos. In particular, we present the scope of the Z′ strahlung process for single and double Higgs production, the only suitable mechanism enabling one to access an almost decoupled heavy scalar state (therefore outside the LHC range).     

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.     

Searches for physics beyond the standard model inf-f production at LEP II

Preliminary combinations of measurements of the 4 LEP Collaborations of the processe ⁺ e ⁻→f-f at LEP II are presented. The combined results are interpreted in terms of contact interactions and the exchange ofZ′ bosons and within models of low-scale gravity in large extra dimensions.     

Production and two-photon decay of the MSSM scalar Higgs bosons at the LHC

We consider the production and two-photon decay of theCP-even Higgs bosons (h ⁰ andH ⁰) of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) at the Large Hadron Collider. We study in detail the dependence of the cross section on various parameters of the MSSM, especially the dependence on the mixing effects in the squark sector due to the Higgs bilinear parameterμ and the soft supersymmetry breaking parameterA. We find that the cross section for the production of these Higgs bosons has a significant dependence on the parameters which determine the chiral mixing in the squark sector. The cross section times the two-photon branching ratio ofh ⁰ is of the order of 15–25 fb in much of the parameter space that remains after imposing the present experimental constraints. For theH ⁰ the two-photon branching ratio is only significant if theH ⁰ is light, but then the cross section times the branching ratio may exceed 200 fb. The QCD corrections due to quark loop contributions are known to increase the cross section by 50%. We find the dependence of the cross section on the gluon distribution function used to be rather insignificant.     

The masses of the neutral {\cal CP}-even Higgs bosons in the MSSM: Accurate analysis at the two-loop level

We present detailed results of a diagrammatic calculation of the leading two-loop QCD corrections to the masses of the neutral -even Higgs bosons in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). The two-loop corrections are incorporated into the full diagrammatic one-loop result and supplemented with refinement terms that take into account leading electroweak two-loop and higher-order QCD contributions. The dependence of the results for the Higgs-boson masses on the various MSSM parameters is analyzed in detail, with a particular focus on the part of the parameter space accessible at LEP2 and the upgraded Tevatron. For the mass of the lightest Higgs boson, , a parameter scan has been performed, yielding an upper limit on which depends only on . The results for the Higgs-boson masses are compared with results obtained by renormalization group methods. Good agreement is found in the case of vanishing mixing in the scalar quark sector, while sizable deviations occur if squark mixing is taken into account. Received: 11 January 1999 / Published online: 28 May 1999