Inclusive Search for Standard Model Higgs Boson Production in the WW Decay Channel using the CDF II Detector

TL;DR

This paper reports a search for the Standard Model Higgs boson decaying into WW pairs using data from the CDF II detector, setting upper limits on production cross sections across a range of masses.

Contribution

The study provides the most stringent upper limits to date on SM Higgs production in the WW decay channel for Higgs masses above 130 GeV.

Findings

No evidence of Higgs production was observed.

Upper limits on the cross section were set at 95% confidence level.

Limits are within 1.29 times the predicted SM value at 165 GeV.

Abstract

We present a search for standard model (SM) Higgs boson production using ppbar collision data at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV, collected with the CDF II detector and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.8 fb-1. We search for Higgs bosons produced in all processes with a significant production rate and decaying to two W bosons. We find no evidence for SM Higgs boson production and place upper limits at the 95% confidence level on the SM production cross section (sigma(H)) for values of the Higgs boson mass (m_H) in the range from 110 to 200 GeV. These limits are the most stringent for m_H > 130 GeV and are 1.29 above the predicted value of sigma(H) for mH = 165 GeV.