QED radiative corrections and their impact on H -> tau tau searches at the LHC

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that including QED radiative corrections in background modeling can explain the excess of tau tau events observed at the LHC, affecting Higgs decay analyses.

Contribution

It introduces a refined background modeling approach that accounts for QED radiative corrections, impacting Higgs to tau tau search results.

Findings

QED corrections significantly affect tau tau background estimates.

Proper modeling reduces the excess attributed to Higgs decay.

Results suggest reevaluation of Higgs decay signals considering radiative effects.

Abstract

In this paper we show that the excess of the tau tau events with respect to the Standard Model background predictions, observed by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations and interpreted as the evidence of the Higgs-boson decay into a pair of tau-leptons, may be accounted for by properly taking into account QED radiative corrections in the modelling of the Z/gamma* -> tau tau background.