Search for new particles in an extended Higgs sector with four b quarks in the final state at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV

TL;DR

This paper reports a search for new particles in an extended Higgs sector, focusing on a resonance decaying into four bottom quarks, using CMS data from the LHC at 13 TeV, setting the first limits on this process.

Contribution

The study introduces the first experimental limits on a new Higgs-like resonance decaying into four bottom quarks in the specified mass ranges.

Findings

Set model-specific limits on production cross section times branching fraction.

Limits range between 30 and 1 femtobarns at 95% confidence level.

Utilized jet substructure and flavor tagging techniques for identification.

Abstract

A search for an extended Higgs sector, characterized by a massive resonance X decaying to a pair of spin-0 bosons $\phi$ that themselves decay to pairs of bottom quarks, is presented. The analysis is restricted to the mass ranges $m_\phi$ from 25 to 100 GeV and $m_\mathrm{X}$ from 1 to 3 TeV. For these mass ranges, the decay products of each $\phi$ boson are expected to merge into a single large-radius jet. Jet substructure and flavor identification techniques are used to identify these jets. The search is based on CERN LHC proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV, collected with the CMS detector in 2016-2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. Model-specific limits are set on the product of the production cross section and branching fraction for X $\to$ $\phi\phi$ $\to$ $(\mathrm{b\bar{b}})(\mathrm{b\bar{b}})$ as a function of mass, where both the X $\to$ $\phi\phi$ and $\phi$ $\to$ $\mathrm{b\bar{b}}$ branching fractions are assumed to be 100%. These limits are the first of their kind on this process, ranging between 30 and 1 fb at 95% confidence level for the considered mass ranges.