Search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying to a bb pair in events with two oppositely-charged leptons using the full CDF data set

TL;DR

This paper reports a search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying into a bottom-quark pair in events with two oppositely-charged leptons, using the full CDF dataset, setting upper limits on production cross section at 125 GeV.

Contribution

First search using the full CDF dataset for Higgs decaying to bb in association with a Z boson in dilepton events.

Findings

Observed limit at 125 GeV is 7.1 times the SM prediction.

Expected limit at 125 GeV is 3.9 times the SM prediction.

Set upper limits on ZH production cross section times H->bb branching ratio.

Abstract

We present a search for the standard model Higgs boson produced in association with a Z boson in data collected with the CDF II detector at the Tevatron, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9.45/fb. In events consistent with the decay of the Higgs boson to a bottom-quark pair and the Z boson to electron or muon pairs, we set 95% credibility level upper limits on the ZH production cross section times the H -> bb branching ratio as a function of Higgs boson mass. At a Higgs boson mass of 125 GeV/c^2 we observe (expect) a limit of 7.1 (3.9) times the standard model value.