Search for the Standard Model Higgs boson in final states with b quarks at the Tevatron

Abstract

We present the result of searches for a low mass Standard Model Higgs boson produced in association with a W or a Z boson at a center-of-mass energy of {radical}s = 1.96 TeV with the CDF and D0 detectors at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. The search is performed in events containing one or two b tagged jets in association with either two leptons, or one lepton and an imbalance in transverse energy, or simply a large imbalance in transverse energy. Datasets corresponding to up to 8.5 fb{sup -1} of integrated luminosity are considered in the analyses. These are the most powerful channels in the search for a low mass Higgs boson at the Tevatron. Recent sensitivity improvements are discussed. For a Higgs mass of 115 GeV/c{sup 2}, the expected sensitivity for the most sensitive individual analyses reaches 2.3 times the SM prediction at 95% confidence level (C.L.), with all limits below 5 times the SM. Additionally, a WZ/ZZ cross-section measurement is performed to validate the analysis techniques deployed for searching for the Higgs.