Physics Performance and Detector Requirements at an Asymmetric Higgs Factory

TL;DR

The paper discusses the design, challenges, and physics performance implications of the proposed Hybrid Asymmetric Linear Higgs Factory, which uses plasma wake-field acceleration and asymmetric beams to achieve cost-effective Higgs boson studies.

Contribution

It introduces the HALHF concept, analyzing how asymmetry and plasma acceleration impact detector requirements and physics analyses, with benchmark comparisons to existing designs.

Findings

Beam parameters significantly influence beam-induced backgrounds.

Asymmetry affects detector design and physics analysis strategies.

Benchmarking shows potential improvements over symmetric collider designs.

Abstract

The Hybrid Asymmetric Linear Higgs Factory (HALHF) proposes a shorter and cheaper design for a future Higgs factory. It reaches a $\sqrt{s} = 250$ GeV using a 500 GeV electron beam accelerated by an electron-driven plasma wake-field, and a conventionally-accelerated 31 GeV positron beam. Assuming plasma acceleration R&D challenges are solved in a timely manner, the asymmetry of the collisions brings additional challenges regarding the detector and the physics analyses, from forward boosted topologies and beam backgrounds. This contribution will detail the impact of beam parameters on beam-induced backgrounds, and provide a first look at what modification compared to e.g. the ILD can improve the physics performance at such a facility. The studies will be benchmarked against some flagship Higgs Factory analyses for comparison.