Abstract
The possibility of searching for the Higgs boson in channels with multiple non-resonant leptons is evaluated in light of recent advances in multi-lepton search techniques at the LHC. The total multi-lepton Higgs signal exceeds the four lepton gold-plated resonant mode, but is spread over many channels with same-sign di-lepton, tri-lepton, and four lepton final states. While any individual channel alone is not significant, the exclusive combination across multiple channels is shown to provide a sensitivity nearly comparable to other discovery level searches for the Higgs boson. We estimate that with 5 fb−1 of data, existing non-optimized multi-lepton searches at the LHC could exclude the Higgs boson to 95 % CL at a few times the predicted Standard Model cross section in the mass range 120 − 150 GeV. Refinements focused specifically on the Higgs boson signal are suggested that would further increase sensitivity. We illustrate the possibility of discerning patterns in production and decay modes using correlations across multiple channels by comparing sensitivities to Standard Model, Fermi-phobic, and b-phobic Higgs bosons.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Particle Data Group collaboration, K. Nakamura et al., Review of particle physics, J. Phys. G 37 (2010) 075021 [INSPIRE].
CDF collaboration, T. Aaltonen et al., Inclusive Search for Standard Model Higgs Boson Production in the W W Decay Channel using the CDF II Detector, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104 (2010) 061803 [arXiv:1001.4468] [INSPIRE].
D0 collaboration, V. Abazov et al., Search for Higgs boson production in dilepton and missing energy final states with 5.4 fb −1 of p \( \overline p \) collisions at \( \sqrt {s} \) = 1.96 TeV, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104 (2010) 061804 [arXiv:1001.4481] [INSPIRE].
CDF, D0 collaboration, T. Aaltonen et al., Combination of Tevatron searches for the standard model Higgs boson in the W + W − decay mode, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104 (2010) 061802 [arXiv:1001.4162] [INSPIRE].
CMS collaboration, S. Chatrchyan et al., Measurement of W + W − Production and Search for the Higgs Boson in pp Collisions at \( \sqrt {s} \) = 7 TeV, Phys. Lett. B 699 (2011) 25 [arXiv:1102.5429] [INSPIRE].
ATLAS collaboration, G. Aad et al., Limits on the production of the Standard Model Higgs Boson in pp collisions at \( \sqrt {s} \) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector, Eur. Phys. J. C 71 (2011) 1728 [arXiv:1106.2748] [INSPIRE].
R.C. Gray, C. Kilic, M. Park, S. Somalwar and S. Thomas, Backgrounds To Higgs Boson Searches from W γ * → lνl(l) Asymmetric Internal Conversion, arXiv:1110.1368 [INSPIRE].
H. Baer and J.D. Wells, Trilepton Higgs signal at hadron colliders, Phys. Rev. D 57 (1998) 4446 [hep-ph/9710368] [INSPIRE].
ATLAS collaboration, K. Jakobs, A study of the associated production W H, with W → lν and H → W W * → lνlν, ATL-PHYS-2000-008 (1999).
ATLAS collaboration, V. Cavasinni and D. Costanzo , Search for W H → W W W → lνlν jet-jet, using like-sign leptons, ATL-PHYS-2000-013 (2000).
ATLAS collaboration, J. Leveque, J.B. de Vivie, V. Kostioukhine and A. Rozanov, Search for the standard model Higgs Boson in the t \( \overline t \) tH, H → W W * channel, ATL-PHYS-2002-019 (2002).
CMS collaboration, S. Chatrchyan et al., Search for Physics Beyond the Standard Model Using Multilepton Signatures in pp Collisions at \( \sqrt {s} \) = 7 TeV, Phys. Lett. B 704 (2011) 411 [arXiv:1106.0933] [INSPIRE].
CMS collaboration, S. Chatrchyan et al., Search for new physics with same-sign isolated dilepton events with jets and missing transverse energy at the LHC, JHEP 06 (2011) 077 [arXiv:1104.3168] [INSPIRE].
H. Haber, G.L. Kane and T. Sterling, The Fermion Mass Scale and Possible Effects of Higgs Bosons on Experimental Observables, Nucl. Phys. B 161 (1979) 493 [INSPIRE].
A. Akeroyd, Fermiophobic Higgs bosons at the Tevatron, Phys. Lett. B 368 (1996) 89 [hep-ph/9511347] [INSPIRE].
J.F. Gunion, H.E. Haber, G.L. Kane and S. Dawson, Frontiers in Physics. Vol. 80: The Higgs Hunter’s Guide, Perseus Books, New York U.S.A. (2000).
J. Gunion and H.E. Haber, Higgs Bosons in Supersymmetric Models. 2. Implications for Phenomenology, Nucl. Phys. B 278 (1986) 449 [INSPIRE].
M. Spira, A. Djouadi, D. Graudenz and P. Zerwas, SUSY Higgs production at proton colliders, Phys. Lett. B 318 (1993) 347 [INSPIRE].
M.S. Carena, S. Mrenna and C. Wagner, MSSM Higgs boson phenomenology at the Tevatron collider, Phys. Rev. D 60 (1999) 075010 [hep-ph/9808312] [INSPIRE].
M.S. Carena, S. Mrenna and C. Wagner, The complementarity of LEP, the Tevatron and the CERN LHC in the search for a light MSSM Higgs boson, Phys. Rev. D 62 (2000) 055008 [hep-ph/9907422] [INSPIRE].
LHC Higgs Cross section Working Group collaboration, S. Dittmaier et al., Handbook of LHC Higgs cross sections: 1. Inclusive observables, CERN-2011-002, CERN, Geneva Switzerland (2011) [arXiv:1101.0593] [INSPIRE].
F. Maltoni and T. Stelzer, MadEvent: Automatic event generation with MadGraph, JHEP 02 (2003) 027 [hep-ph/0208156] [INSPIRE].
J. Alwall et al., MadGraph/MadEvent v4: the new web generation, JHEP 09 (2007) 028 [arXiv:0706.2334] [INSPIRE].
P. Meade and M. Reece, BRIDGE: Branching ratio inquiry/decay generated events, hep-ph/0703031 [INSPIRE].
T. Sjöstrand, S. Mrenna and P.Z. Skands, PYTHIA 6.4 Physics and Manual, JHEP 05 (2006) 026 [hep-ph/0603175] [INSPIRE].
J. Conway et al., PGS 4: Pretty Good Simulation of high energy collisions (2006), www.physics.ucdavis.edu/∼conway/research/software/pgs/pgs4-general.htm.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
ArXiv ePrint: 1112.2298
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Contreras-Campana, E., Craig, N., Gray, R. et al. Multi-lepton signals of the Higgs boson. J. High Energ. Phys. 2012, 112 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP04(2012)112
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP04(2012)112