Heavy MSSM Higgs production at the LHC and decays to WW , ZZ at higher orders

Abstract

In this paper we discuss the production of a heavy scalar MSSM Higgs boson H and its subsequent decays into pairs of electroweak gauge bosons WW and ZZ. We perform a scan over the relevant MSSM parameters, using constraints from direct Higgs searches and several low-energy observables. We then compare the possible size of the pp -> H -> WW,ZZ cross sections with corresponding Standard Model cross sections. We also include the full MSSM vertex corrections to the H -> WW,ZZ decay and combine them with the Higgs propagator corrections, paying special attention to the IR-divergent contributions. We find that the vertex corrections can be as large as -30% in MSSM parameter space regions which are currently probed by Higgs searches at the LHC. Once the sensitivity of these searches reaches two percent of the SM signal strength the vertex corrections can be numerically as important as the leading order and Higgs self-energy corrections and have to be considered when setting limits on MSSM parameters.