A search for the standard model Higgs boson in the missing energy and acoplanar b-jet topology at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV

TL;DR

This paper reports a search for the Standard Model Higgs boson in a specific decay topology at the Fermilab Tevatron, using neural networks to distinguish signal from background, and sets upper limits on production cross sections.

Contribution

It introduces a novel analysis using neural networks to improve Higgs boson search sensitivity in missing energy and acoplanar b-jet events at the Tevatron.

Findings

No significant Higgs signal observed.

Set 95% CL upper limits on cross section of 2.6 - 2.3 pb.

Expected limits range from 2.8 pb to 2.0 pb.

Abstract

We report a search for the standard model Higgs boson in the missing energy and acoplanar b-jet topology, using an integrated luminosity of 0.93 inverse femtobarn recorded by the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The analysis includes signal contributions from pp->ZH->nu nu b b, as well as from WH production in which the charged lepton from the W boson decay is undetected. Neural networks are used to separate signal from background. In the absence of a signal, we set limits on the cross section of pp->VH times the branching ratio of H->bb at the 95% C.L. of 2.6 - 2.3 pb, for Higgs boson masses in the range 105 - 135 GeV, where V=W,Z. The corresponding expected limits range from 2.8 pb - 2.0 pb.