Status of the 98 - 125 GeV Higgs scenario with updated LHC-8 data

TL;DR

This paper explores the possibility of a 98 GeV Higgs boson within the MSSM framework, consistent with LEP excess and 125 GeV Higgs data, and assesses its detectability at the LHC.

Contribution

It investigates a specific light Higgs scenario in MSSM consistent with existing data and evaluates its observability at future high-luminosity LHC runs.

Findings

The 98 GeV Higgs scenario remains viable even at high LHC luminosity.

Precise Higgs signal strength measurements can distinguish this scenario from standard MSSM.

The scenario is difficult to exclude with upcoming LHC data.

Abstract

In the context of minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), we discuss the possibility of the lightest Higgs boson with mass $M_h = 98 $ GeV to be consistent with the $2.3\sigma$ excess observed at the LEP in the decay mode $e^+e^- \to Zh$, with $h \to b {\bar b}$. In the same region of the MSSM parameter space, the heavier Higgs boson $(H)$ with mass $M_H \sim 125 $ GeV is required to be consistent with the latest data on Higgs coupling measurements at the end of 7 + 8 TeV LHC run with $25{\rm fb}^{-1}$ of data. While scanning the MSSM parameter space, we impose constraints coming from flavour physics, relic density of the cold dark matter as well as direct dark matter searches. We study the possibility of observing this light Higgs boson in vector boson fusion process and associated production with $W/Z$ boson at the high luminosity $(3000~{\rm fb}^{-1})$ run of the 14 TeV LHC. Our analysis shows that this scenario can hardly be ruled out even at the high luminosity run of the LHC. However, the precise measurement of the Higgs signal strength ratios can play a major role to distinguish this scenario from the canonical MSSM one.