Search for a Light Standard Model Higgs Boson Produced in Association with a Photon in Vector Boson Fusion

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the potential to discover a Standard Model Higgs boson decaying to b-quarks via vector boson fusion with an associated photon at the LHC, highlighting the benefits of photon tagging despite reduced cross section.

Contribution

It presents a detailed analysis of Higgs production in association with a photon through vector boson fusion, including optimized selection criteria and realistic detector effects.

Findings

Significance of ~1.9 with current simulation setup

Photon association improves trigger and background rejection

Analysis incorporates realistic detector efficiencies

Abstract

We present the prospects for the discovery of a Standard Model Higgs boson decaying to $b\bar{b}$ pair through the Vector Boson Fusion mechanism in association with a central photon at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The photon provides a clean trigger and several advantages despite the fact that the cross section decreases by approximately a factor of $\alpha_{em}$. After applying various optimized selection criteria, we obtain a significance of $\sim$1.9 using ALPGEN interfaced with PYTHIA. The expected $b$-jet efficiency and fake rates and other detector acceptance cuts are taken into account to obtain a more realistic result.