Constraints on models for the Higgs boson with exotic spin and parity in $\boldsymbol{VH\rightarrow Vb\bar{b}}$ final states

TL;DR

This study tests non-standard spin and parity models of the Higgs boson using Tevatron data, finding strong evidence against certain exotic hypotheses and constraining their possible contributions.

Contribution

First analysis of Higgs boson spin-parity with fermions in the final state using Tevatron data, providing new constraints on non-standard models.

Findings

Excluded $J^{P}=0^{-}$ at 97.6% CL assuming SM production rate.

Excluded $J^{P}=2^{+}$ at 99.0% CL assuming SM production rate.

Constrained the fraction of non-standard $J^{P}$ states to below 0.80 and 0.67 at 95% CL.

Abstract

We present constraints on models containing non-standard model values for the spin $J$ and parity $P$ of the Higgs boson, $H$, in up to 9.7~fb$^{-1}$ of $p\bar{p}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = $ 1.96~TeV collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. These are the first studies of Higgs boson $J^{P}$ with fermions in the final state. In the $ZH\rightarrow \ell\ell b\bar{b}$, $WH\rightarrow \ell\nu b\bar{b}$, and $ZH\rightarrow \nu\nu b\bar{b}$ final states, we compare the standard model (SM) Higgs boson prediction, $J^{P}=0^{+}$, with two alternative hypotheses, $J^{P}=0^{-}$ and $J^{P}=2^{+}$. We use a likelihood ratio to quantify the degree to which our data are incompatible with non-SM $J^{P}$ predictions for a range of possible production rates. Assuming that the production rate in the signal models considered is equal to the SM prediction, we reject the $J^{P}=0^{-}$ and $J^{P}=2^{+}$ hypotheses at the 97.6$\%$ CL and at the 99.0$\%$ CL, respectively. The expected exclusion sensitivity for a $J^{P}=0^{-}$ ($J^{P}=2^{+}$) state is at the 99.86$\%$ (99.94$\%$) CL. Under the hypothesis that our data is the result of a combination of the SM-like Higgs boson and either a $J^{P}=0^{-}$ or a $J^{P}=2^{+}$ signal, we exclude a $J^{P}=0^{-}$ fraction above 0.80 and a $J^{P}=2^{+}$ fraction above 0.67 at the 95$\%$ CL. The expected exclusion covers $J^{P}=0^{-}$ ($J^{P}=2^{+}$) fractions above 0.54 (0.47).