A search for Standard Model Higgs bosons produced in association with a high-energy photon and decaying to b bbar is performed using 133 fb-1 of root s = 13 TeV pp collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The photon requirement reduces the multijet background, and the H -> b bbar decay is the dominant decay mode. Event selection requirements target events produced by vector-boson fusion, the dominant production mode in this channel. Several improvements enhance the search sensitivity compared to previous measurements. These improvements include better background modelling and characterization, the use of a neural-network classifier, and an updated signal extraction strategy adopting a direct binned-likelihood fit to the classifier output. With these improvements, the Higgs boson signal strength is measured to be 0.2 +- 0.7 relative to the Standard Model prediction. This corresponds to an observed significance of 0.3 standard deviations, compared to an expectation of 1.5 standard deviations assuming the Standard Model.

Aad, G., Aakvaag, E., Abbott, B., Abdelhameed, S., Abeling, K., Abicht, N.j., et al. (2026). Search for Higgs bosons produced in association with a high-energy photon via vector-boson fusion and decaying to a pair of b-quarks in the ATLAS detector. PHYSICS LETTERS. SECTION B, 877 [10.1016/j.physletb.2026.140279].

Search for Higgs bosons produced in association with a high-energy photon via vector-boson fusion and decaying to a pair of b-quarks in the ATLAS detector

Aielli, G.;Camarri, P.;Cerrito, L.;De Sanctis, U.;Di Ciaccio, A.;
2026-01-01

Abstract

A search for Standard Model Higgs bosons produced in association with a high-energy photon and decaying to b bbar is performed using 133 fb-1 of root s = 13 TeV pp collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The photon requirement reduces the multijet background, and the H -> b bbar decay is the dominant decay mode. Event selection requirements target events produced by vector-boson fusion, the dominant production mode in this channel. Several improvements enhance the search sensitivity compared to previous measurements. These improvements include better background modelling and characterization, the use of a neural-network classifier, and an updated signal extraction strategy adopting a direct binned-likelihood fit to the classifier output. With these improvements, the Higgs boson signal strength is measured to be 0.2 +- 0.7 relative to the Standard Model prediction. This corresponds to an observed significance of 0.3 standard deviations, compared to an expectation of 1.5 standard deviations assuming the Standard Model.
2026
Pubblicato
Rilevanza internazionale
Articolo
Esperti anonimi
Settore PHYS-01/A - Fisica sperimentale delle interazioni fondamentali e applicazioni
English
Con Impact Factor ISI
ATLAS experiment
Higgs boson
Higgs decay to bottom quarks
Higgs plus photon production
Large Hadron Collider
Vector boson fusion
Aad, G., Aakvaag, E., Abbott, B., Abdelhameed, S., Abeling, K., Abicht, N.j., et al. (2026). Search for Higgs bosons produced in association with a high-energy photon via vector-boson fusion and decaying to a pair of b-quarks in the ATLAS detector. PHYSICS LETTERS. SECTION B, 877 [10.1016/j.physletb.2026.140279].
Aad, G; Aakvaag, E; Abbott, B; Abdelhameed, S; Abeling, K; Abicht, Nj; Abidi, Sh; Aboelela, M; Aboulhorma, A; Abramowicz, H; Abulaiti, Y; Acharya, Bs;...espandi
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2108/462663
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