pp(macro)-->tt(macro)H: a discovery mode for the Higgs boson at the Fermilab Tevatron

Area of Science:

• High Energy Physics
• Particle Physics
• Collider Physics

Background:

• The Standard Model Higgs boson is a key particle in understanding fundamental physics.
• Searches for Higgs bosons are ongoing at particle colliders like the Fermilab Tevatron.
• Associated production of Higgs bosons with top quark pairs is a crucial channel for discovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To re-evaluate the production of a standard model Higgs boson in association with a top quark pair.
• To assess the viability of different Higgs boson decay channels for detection at the Fermilab Tevatron's high luminosity run.
• To compare the effectiveness of Higgs to bottom quark decays (H-->bb) with other associated production searches (WH, ZH).

Main Methods:

• Simulating and analyzing data from the Fermilab Tevatron's high luminosity run (15 fb^-1 at sqrt(s) = 2.0 TeV).
• Calculating the production cross section times branching ratio for Higgs boson decays.
• Comparing the H-->bb decay channel with other Higgs production and decay channels.

Main Results:

• Higgs boson production in association with top quark pairs is investigated for the Tevatron.
• For Higgs masses below 140 GeV, the H-->bb decay channel yields a significant number of events.
• The H-->bb decay mode is found to be competitive with and complementary to WH and ZH associated production searches.
• For higher mass Higgs bosons, H-->W(+)W(-) decays are more challenging but may yield a few spectacular events.

Conclusions:

• The H-->bb decay channel is a promising mode for discovering Higgs bosons with masses below 140 GeV at the Tevatron.
• Associated production of Higgs bosons with top quark pairs provides complementary search strategies.
• Future high luminosity runs offer potential for detecting even rare Higgs boson decay modes.