Search for the rare Higgs boson decay H $\to$ Z$γ$ in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 and 13.6 TeV
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: A search is presented for the rare, loop-induced Higgs boson decay H $\to$ Z$γ$, where Z $\to$ $\ell^+\ell^-$ and $\ell$ = e or $μ$. The search is performed using a sample of proton-proton (pp) collision data at the center-of-mass energies of 13 and 13.6 TeV, recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC and corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 200 fb$^{-1}$. The analysis design separately considers and optimizes sensitivity to Higgs boson production via gluon-gluon fusion, vector boson fusion, and associated-production processes. The signal is extracted from a simultaneous fit to the invariant mass distributions of the $\ell^+\ell^-γ$ system in the various production channels and event categories. The observed (expected) signal strength $μ$, defined as the ratio of the measured product the of cross section and decay branching fraction value $σ$(pp $\to$ H)$\mathcal{B}$(H $\to$ Z$γ$) to the corresponding value predicted in the standard model, is found to be $μ$ = 1.10$^{+0.52}_{-0.61}$ (1.00$^{+0.49}_{-0.46}$) for a Higgs boson mass of 125.38 GeV. The signal has an observed (expected) significance of 1.9 (2.3) standard deviations.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Author: CMS Collaboration
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Welch Foundation, Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung, Nvidia, Weston Havens Foundation, CERN, Türkiye Enerji, Nükleer ve Maden Araştırma Kurumu, European Commission, Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India, Science Foundation Ireland, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Ministerstvo Školství, Mládeže a Tělovýchovy, Fonds National de la Recherche Luxembourg, National Science Council, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Austrian Science Fund, Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Bulgarian National Science Fund, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, A.G. Leventis Foundation, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Secretaría de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu, Ministry of Education, India, Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Latvijas Zinātnes Padome, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, Ministry of Science,Technology and Research, University of Science and Technology of China, Nemzeti Kutatási Fejlesztési és Innovációs Hivatal, Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation, Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea, Narodowa Agencja Wymiany Akademickiej, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, Thailand, Qatar National Research Fund, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Fonds pour la Formation à la Recherche dans l’Industrie et dans l’Agriculture, European Regional Development Fund, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules, H2020 European Research Council
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OpenAlex ID: W7211894936