Fingerprinting Higgs suspects at the LHC

J R Espinosa,M Mühlleitner,C Grojean,M Trott

doi:10.1007/jhep05(2012)097

Abstract

Abstract We outline a method for characterizing deviations from the properties of a Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson. We apply it to current data in order to characterize up to which degree the SM Higgs boson interpretation is consistent with experiment. We find that the SM Higgs boson is consistent with the current data set at the 82 % confidence level, based on data of excess events reported by CMS and ATLAS, which are interpreted to be related to the mass scale m h ∼ 124 − 126 GeV, and on published CLs exclusion regions. We perform a global fit in terms of two parameters characterizing the deviation from the SM value in the gauge and fermion couplings of a Higgs boson. We find two minima in the global fit and identify observables that can remove this degeneracy. An update for Moriond 2012 data is included in the appendix, which finds that the SM Higgs boson is now consistent with the current data set at only the 89 % confidence level (which corresponds to ∼ 2 σ tension compared to the best fit point).

Highlights

ATLAS [9] are 112.7 ≤ mh ≤ 115.5 GeV, 131 ≤ mh ≤ 237 GeV and 251 ≤ mh ≤ 468 GeV at 95% confidence level (CL)
We find that the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson is consistent with the current data set at the 82 % confidence level, based on data of excess events reported by CMS and ATLAS, which are interpreted to be related to the mass scale mh ∼ 124 − 126 GeV, and on published CLs exclusion regions
An update for Moriond 2012 data is included in the appendix, which finds that the SM Higgs boson is consistent with the current data set at only the 89 % confidence level

Summary

Introduction

ATLAS [9] are 112.7 ≤ mh ≤ 115.5 GeV, 131 ≤ mh ≤ 237 GeV and 251 ≤ mh ≤ 468 GeV at 95% confidence level (CL). The evidence for a light resonance with this mass scale and approximately SM Higgs-like properties has been augmented by the observation of 7 events (compared to an expected background of 2 events) within one GeV of 124 GeV in the pp → hjj → γγjj channel at CMS [11], which would correspond to a SM Higgs boson produced through vector boson fusion We will use these experimental results in this paper to determine to what degree current data is selecting a SM Higgs boson or not.

Results

Discussion

Conclusion