SM Higgs boson searches in the early ATLAS data

TL;DR

This paper reviews the ATLAS experiment's potential to discover or exclude the Standard Model Higgs boson at various LHC energies, focusing on key decay channels and background measurements at 7 TeV, 10 TeV, and 14 TeV.

Contribution

It provides the first assessment of ATLAS's Higgs search capabilities at 7 TeV, including decay channels, background estimates, and simulation-based projections.

Findings

Potential to discover or exclude Higgs at different energies

Analysis of main decay channels and backgrounds

Simulation results for 7, 10, and 14 TeV energies

Abstract

ATLAS exclusion and discovery potentials of Standard Model Higgs boson searches at the LHC at 14 TeV, 10 TeV and 7 TeV center-of-mass energy are reviewed. For a LHC center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and integrated luminosity of 1 fb$^{-1}$, contributions from the important decay channels $\Hboson \rightarrow \Wboson\Wboson^{(*)} \rightarrow \ell\nu\ell\nu$, $\Hboson \rightarrow \Zboson\Zboson^{(*)} \rightarrow \ell\ell\ell\ell$ and $\Hboson \rightarrow \gamma\gamma$ are considered, based on recent full Monte Carlo simulations at 14 and 10 TeV and the cross-section rescaling for the 7 TeV center-of-mass energy. First measurements of backgrounds to Standard Model Higgs boson search are also presented.