Search for exotic decays of the Higgs boson into $b\bar{b}$ and missing transverse momentum in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV with the ATLAS detector

TL;DR

This paper reports a search for exotic Higgs boson decays into a $b\bar{b}$ resonance plus missing transverse momentum using ATLAS data, setting limits on new physics scenarios involving neutralinos and a light pseudoscalar Higgs.

Contribution

It introduces a novel search strategy for Higgs decays into a $b\bar{b}$ resonance and missing energy within the NMSSM framework, using a large dataset from the LHC.

Findings

No significant excess observed over Standard Model predictions.

Upper limits set on cross section times branching ratio for various mass hypotheses.

Constraints placed on NMSSM parameter space involving neutralinos and pseudoscalar Higgs.

Abstract

A search for the exotic decay of the Higgs boson ($H$) into a $b\bar{b}$ resonance plus missing transverse momentum is described. The search is performed with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider using 139 $\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ of $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV. The search targets events from $ZH$ production in an NMSSM scenario where $H \rightarrow \tilde{\chi}^{0}_{2}\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}$, with $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{2} \rightarrow {a} \tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}$, where $a$ is a light pseudoscalar Higgs boson and $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1,2}$ are the two lightest neutralinos. The decay of the $a$ boson into a pair of $b$-quarks results in a peak in the dijet invariant mass distribution. The final-state signature consists of two leptons, two or more jets, at least one of which is identified as originating from a $b$-quark, and missing transverse momentum. Observations are consistent with Standard Model expectations and upper limits are set on the product of cross section times branching ratio for a three-dimensional scan of the masses of the $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{2}$, $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}$ and $a$ boson.