Search for the standard model Higgs boson in tau final states

TL;DR

This paper reports a search for the standard model Higgs boson in tau final states using data from the Fermilab Tevatron, setting limits on its production cross section at 115 GeV.

Contribution

It introduces a novel analysis of tau final states with specific decay channels to search for the Higgs boson at the Tevatron.

Findings

Observed limit ratio of 29 times the SM expectation at 115 GeV

Sensitive to multiple Higgs production mechanisms

Utilizes 1 fb^-1 of data from the D0 detector

Abstract

We present a search for the standard model Higgs boson using hadronically decaying tau leptons, in 1 inverse femtobarn of data collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron ppbar collider. We select two final states: tau plus missing transverse energy and b jets, and tau+ tau- plus jets. These final states are sensitive to a combination of associated W/Z boson plus Higgs boson, vector boson fusion and gluon-gluon fusion production processes. The observed ratio of the combined limit on the Higgs production cross section at the 95% C.L. to the standard model expectation is 29 for a Higgs boson mass of 115 GeV.