Study of anomalous gauge-Higgs couplings using $Z$ boson polarization at LHC

TL;DR

This paper investigates how measuring the polarization of Z bosons at the LHC can set model-independent bounds on anomalous gauge-Higgs couplings, providing a new way to probe potential new physics in ZH production.

Contribution

It introduces a method to estimate bounds on anomalous $ZZH$ couplings using Z boson polarization parameters derived from the spin density matrix at the LHC.

Findings

Estimates bounds on anomalous $ZZH$ couplings at 14 TeV LHC.

Connects polarization observables to angular distributions of Z decay products.

Provides a model-independent approach to probe new physics in ZH production.

Abstract

We estimate model-independent bounds that could be obtained on the anomalous $ZZH$ vertex using polarization parameters of the $Z$ boson produced in the Higgstrahlung process at the LHC. We calculate the eight independent polarization parameters from the spin density matrix elements of the $Z$, which can probe underlying new physics contributions to $ZH$ production. By using the approach that connects these polarization observables to the coefficients in the angular distribution of the decay products of the $Z$, we estimate the limits on the anomalous $ZZH$ coupling that can be obtained at the 14 TeV LHC.