Search for the decay of the Higgs boson to a Z boson and a light pseudoscalar particle decaying to two photons

ATLAS Collaboration

doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2024.138536

Search for the decay of the Higgs boson to a Z boson and a light pseudoscalar particle decaying to two photons

ATLAS Collaboration

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Aix-Marseille Université and CNRS/IN2P3
University of Oklahoma
University of Göttingen
TU Dortmund University
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Mohammed V University in Rabat
Tel Aviv University
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New York University
National Institute for Nuclear Physics
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King's College London
IN2P3
AGH University of Krakow
Brandeis University
University of Manchester
Northern Illinois University
Istanbul University
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
University of California at Santa Cruz
Institute for High Energy Physics
University of Pavia
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi
Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences
McGill University
Royal Holloway University of London
University of Science and Technology of China
University of Rome Tor Vergata
University of Valencia
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Weizmann Institute of Science
Lund University
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12 Scopus citations

Abstract

A search for the decay of the Higgs boson to a Z boson and a light, pseudoscalar particle, a, decaying respectively to two leptons and to two photons is reported. The search uses the full LHC Run 2 proton–proton collision data at s=13 TeV, corresponding to 139 fb⁻¹ collected by the ATLAS detector. This is one of the first searches for this specific decay mode of the Higgs boson, and it probes unexplored parameter space in models with axion-like particles (ALPs) and extended scalar sectors. The mass of the a particle is assumed to be in the range 0.1–33 GeV. The data are analysed in two categories: a merged category where the photons from the a decay are reconstructed in the ATLAS calorimeter as a single cluster, and a resolved category in which two separate photons are detected. The main background processes are from Standard Model Z boson production in association with photons or jets. The data are in agreement with the background predictions, and upper limits on the branching ratio of the Higgs boson decay to Za times the branching ratio a→γγ are derived at the 95% confidence level and they range from 0.08% to 2% depending on the mass of the a particle. The results are also interpreted in the context of ALP models.

Original language	English
Article number	138536
Journal	Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics
Volume	850
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2024.138536
State	Published - Mar 2024

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@article{c0c32989d2a947cab386818d3f86476c,

title = "Search for the decay of the Higgs boson to a Z boson and a light pseudoscalar particle decaying to two photons",

abstract = "A search for the decay of the Higgs boson to a Z boson and a light, pseudoscalar particle, a, decaying respectively to two leptons and to two photons is reported. The search uses the full LHC Run 2 proton{\textendash}proton collision data at s=13 TeV, corresponding to 139 fb−1 collected by the ATLAS detector. This is one of the first searches for this specific decay mode of the Higgs boson, and it probes unexplored parameter space in models with axion-like particles (ALPs) and extended scalar sectors. The mass of the a particle is assumed to be in the range 0.1{\textendash}33 GeV. The data are analysed in two categories: a merged category where the photons from the a decay are reconstructed in the ATLAS calorimeter as a single cluster, and a resolved category in which two separate photons are detected. The main background processes are from Standard Model Z boson production in association with photons or jets. The data are in agreement with the background predictions, and upper limits on the branching ratio of the Higgs boson decay to Za times the branching ratio a→γγ are derived at the 95\% confidence level and they range from 0.08\% to 2\% depending on the mass of the a particle. The results are also interpreted in the context of ALP models.",

author = "G. Aad and B. Abbott and K. Abeling and Abicht, \{N. J.\} and S. Kabana and \{ATLAS Collaboration\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 The Author(s)",

year = "2024",

month = mar,

doi = "10.1016/j.physletb.2024.138536",

language = "English",

volume = "850",

journal = "Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Search for the decay of the Higgs boson to a Z boson and a light pseudoscalar particle decaying to two photons

AU - Aad, G.

AU - Abbott, B.

AU - Abeling, K.

AU - Abicht, N. J.

AU - Kabana, S.

AU - ATLAS Collaboration

PY - 2024/3

Y1 - 2024/3

N2 - A search for the decay of the Higgs boson to a Z boson and a light, pseudoscalar particle, a, decaying respectively to two leptons and to two photons is reported. The search uses the full LHC Run 2 proton–proton collision data at s=13 TeV, corresponding to 139 fb−1 collected by the ATLAS detector. This is one of the first searches for this specific decay mode of the Higgs boson, and it probes unexplored parameter space in models with axion-like particles (ALPs) and extended scalar sectors. The mass of the a particle is assumed to be in the range 0.1–33 GeV. The data are analysed in two categories: a merged category where the photons from the a decay are reconstructed in the ATLAS calorimeter as a single cluster, and a resolved category in which two separate photons are detected. The main background processes are from Standard Model Z boson production in association with photons or jets. The data are in agreement with the background predictions, and upper limits on the branching ratio of the Higgs boson decay to Za times the branching ratio a→γγ are derived at the 95% confidence level and they range from 0.08% to 2% depending on the mass of the a particle. The results are also interpreted in the context of ALP models.

AB - A search for the decay of the Higgs boson to a Z boson and a light, pseudoscalar particle, a, decaying respectively to two leptons and to two photons is reported. The search uses the full LHC Run 2 proton–proton collision data at s=13 TeV, corresponding to 139 fb−1 collected by the ATLAS detector. This is one of the first searches for this specific decay mode of the Higgs boson, and it probes unexplored parameter space in models with axion-like particles (ALPs) and extended scalar sectors. The mass of the a particle is assumed to be in the range 0.1–33 GeV. The data are analysed in two categories: a merged category where the photons from the a decay are reconstructed in the ATLAS calorimeter as a single cluster, and a resolved category in which two separate photons are detected. The main background processes are from Standard Model Z boson production in association with photons or jets. The data are in agreement with the background predictions, and upper limits on the branching ratio of the Higgs boson decay to Za times the branching ratio a→γγ are derived at the 95% confidence level and they range from 0.08% to 2% depending on the mass of the a particle. The results are also interpreted in the context of ALP models.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85186584048

U2 - 10.1016/j.physletb.2024.138536

DO - 10.1016/j.physletb.2024.138536

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85186584048

SN - 0370-2693

VL - 850

JO - Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics

JF - Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics

M1 - 138536

ER -

Search for the decay of the Higgs boson to a Z boson and a light pseudoscalar particle decaying to two photons

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