Higgs Production and $H^0 \to c\overline{c}$ at a Future Muon-Ion Collider

TL;DR

This paper explores Higgs boson production and decay to charm quarks at a future Muon-Ion Collider, analyzing production mechanisms, background processes, and the influence of parton distribution functions on potential measurements.

Contribution

It provides a detailed study of Higgs production and decay to charm quarks at a Muon-Ion Collider, including background estimates and the effects of heavy quark PDFs.

Findings

Identification of dominant Higgs production channels.

Estimation of non-resonant di-charm background levels.

Assessment of PDF uncertainties on measurement prospects.

Abstract

We investigate the production of Higgs bosons in neutral- and charged-current interactions at a future Muon-Ion Collider (MuIC) with emphasis on $H^0 \to c\overline{c}$ decay. In particular, we focus on the leading production mechanisms and explore the impact of a range of Parton Distribution Function (PDF) scenarios, with emphasis on the role of heavy intrinsic quark flavor. We emphasize estimates of non-resonant di-charm background production and explore the impact of this background on a possible future measurement of $H^0 \to c\overline{c}$ at a future Muon-Ion Collider facility.