Detecting Higgs bosons in the bb decay channel using forward proton tagging at the LHC

TL;DR

This study explores the potential for detecting Higgs bosons decaying into b-quarks via forward proton tagging at the LHC, assessing detector configurations and scenarios to evaluate observability.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of Higgs detection prospects in the b-decay channel using forward proton tagging, considering different models and experimental setups.

Findings

Standard Model Higgs detection in this channel is challenging without improvements.

MSSM Higgs could be observed with 3 sigma significance within three years.

Detection prospects depend on luminosity and detector configuration.

Abstract

A detailed study is presented of the search for Higgs bosons in the b-decay channel in the central exclusive production process at the LHC. We present results for proton tagging detectors at both 220m and 420m around ATLAS or CMS. We consider two benchmark scenarios; a Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson and the m_h^{max} scenario of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). Detector acceptance, smearing and event trigger strategies are considered. We find that the SM Higgs will be challenging to observe in the b-jet channel without improvements to the currently proposed experimental configuration, but a neutral scalar MSSM Higgs Boson could be observable in the b-jet channel with a significance of 3 sigma or greater within three years of data taking at all luminosities between 2 x 10^{33} cm^{-2} s^{-1} and 10^{34} cm^{-2} s^{-1}, and at 5 sigma or greater after three years in certain scenarios.