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Title: Supersymmetric Exotic Decays of the 125 GeV Higgs Boson

Journal Article · · Physical Review Letters
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4]
  1. Los Alamos
  2. Hong Kong U. Sci. Tech.
  3. Chicago U., KICP
  4. Fermilab

We reveal a set of novel decay topologies for the 125 GeV Higgs boson in supersymmetry which are initiated by its decay into a pair of neutralinos, and discuss their collider search strategies. This category of exotic Higgs decays are characterized by the collider signature: visible objects + $$\mbox{$${\not\! E}_{\rm T}$$}$$, with $$\mbox{$${\not\! E}_{\rm T}$$}$$ dominantly arising from escaping dark matter particles. Their benchmark arises naturally in the Peccei-Quinn symmetry limit of the MSSM singlet-extensions, which is typified by the co-existence of three light particles: singlet-like scalar $$h_1$$ and pseudoscalar $$a_1$$, and singlino-like neutralino $$\chi_1$$, all with masses of $$\lesssim 10$$ GeV, and the generically suppression of the exotic decays of the 125 GeV Higgs boson $$h_2\to h_1 h_1$$, $$a_1a_1$$ and $$\chi_1\chi_1$$, however. As an illustration, we study the decay topology: $$h_2 \to \chi_1 \chi_2$$, where the bino-like $$\chi_2$$ decays to $$h_1 \chi_1$$ or $$a_1 \chi_1$$, and $$h_1/a_1 \to f\bar f$$, with $$f\bar f = \mu^+\mu^-$$, $$b\bar b$$. In the di-muon case ($$m_{h_1/a_1} \sim 1$$ GeV), a statistical sensitivity of $$\frac{S}{\sqrt{B}} > 6 \sigma$$ can be achieved easily at the 8 TeV LHC, assuming $$\frac{\sigma(pp \rightarrow W h_2)}{\sigma(pp \rightarrow W h_{\rm SM})} {\rm Br}(h_2 \to \mu^+\mu^- \chi_1 \chi_1)=0.1$$. In the $$b\bar b$$ case ($$m_{h_1/a_1} \sim 45$$ GeV), 600 fb$$^{-1}$$ data at the 14 TeV LHC can lead to a statistical sensitivity of $$\frac{S}{\sqrt{B}} > 5 \sigma$$, assuming $$\frac{\sigma(pp \rightarrow Z h_2)}{\sigma(pp \rightarrow Z h_{\rm SM})} {\rm Br}(h_2 \to b\bar b \chi_1 \chi_1)=0.5$$. These exotic decays open a new avenue for exploring new physics couplings with the 125 GeV Higgs boson at colliders.

Research Organization:
Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-07CH11359
OSTI ID:
1332198
Report Number(s):
FERMILAB-PUB-13-186-T; LA-UR-13-24173; arXiv:1309.6633; 1255652
Journal Information:
Physical Review Letters, Vol. 112, Issue 22; ISSN 0031-9007
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English