Search for the Higgs boson in the gamma gamma final state at the Tevatron

TL;DR

This paper reports on searches for Higgs bosons decaying into two photons at the Tevatron, highlighting the channel's importance for Higgs detection and reinterpretation in fermiophobic models, with implications for LHC searches.

Contribution

First search for Higgs to di-photon decays at the Tevatron, including reinterpretation in fermiophobic models, enhancing understanding of Higgs detection channels.

Findings

Set limits on Higgs production in gamma gamma channel

Reinterpreted limits for fermiophobic Higgs models

Highlighted significance for LHC Higgs searches

Abstract

We present searches for Higgs bosons decaying to the di-photon final state using up to 5.4/fb of data at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. Whilst the branching ratio to the di-photon final state is small in the Standard Model, this channel contributes appreciably to the overall Higgs sensitivity at the Tevatron. In parallel, the limit is re-interpreted in fermiophobic models where the di-photon branching ratio is considerably larger. This decay channel will be of major importance in the light mass Standard Model Higgs search at the LHC.