Search for a standard model-like Higgs boson in the μ + μ ? and e + e ? decay channels at the LHC
Journal
Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics
Journal Volume
744
Pages
184-207
Date Issued
2015
Author(s)
Abstract
A search is presented for a standard model-like Higgs boson decaying to the + -or e + e -final states based on proton-proton collisions recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. The data correspond to integrated luminosities of 5.0 fb -1 at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and 19.7 fb -1 at 8 TeV for the + -search, and of 19.7 fb -1 at 8 TeV for the e + e -search. Upper limits on the production cross section times branching fraction at the 95% confidence level are reported for Higgs boson masses in the range from 120 to 150 GeV. For a Higgs boson with a mass of 125 GeV decaying to + -, the observed (expected) upper limit on the production rate is found to be 7.4 (6.5 +2.8 -1.9 ) times the standard model value. This corresponds to an upper limit on the branching fraction of 0.0016. Similarly, for e + e -, an upper limit of 0.0019 is placed on the branching fraction, which is 3.7 10 5 times the standard model value. These results, together with recent evidence of the 125 GeV boson coupling to -leptons with a larger branching fraction consistent with the standard model, confirm that the leptonic couplings of the new boson are not flavour-universal.
Type
journal article