Search for a Higgs boson decaying into a Z and a photon in pp collisions at root s=7 and 8 TeV


Chatrchyan S., Khachatryan V., Sirunyan A. M., Tumasyan A., Adam W., Bergauer T., ...More

PHYSICS LETTERS B, vol.726, pp.587-609, 2013 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 726
  • Publication Date: 2013
  • Doi Number: 10.1016/j.physletb.2013.09.057
  • Journal Name: PHYSICS LETTERS B
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.587-609
  • Keywords: CMS, Physics, Higgs, PARTON DISTRIBUTIONS
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

A search for a Higgs boson decaying into a Z boson and a photon is described. The analysis is performed using proton-proton collision datasets recorded by the CMS detector at the LHC. Events were collected at center-of-mass energies of 7 TeV and 8 TeV, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 5.0 fb(-1) and 19.6 fb(-1), respectively. The selected events are required to have opposite-sign electron or muon pairs. No excess above standard model predictions has been found in the 120-160 GeV mass range and the first limits on the Higgs boson production cross section times the H -> Z gamma branching fraction at the LHC have been derived. The observed at 95% confidence level limits are between about 4 and 25 times the standard model cross section times the branching fraction. For a standard model Higgs boson mass of 125 GeV the expected limit at the 95% confidence level is 10 and the observed limit is 9.5. Models predicting the Higgs boson production cross section times the H -> Z gamma branching fraction to be larger than one order of magnitude of the standard model prediction are excluded for most of the 125-157 GeV mass range. (C) 2013 CERN. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.