Search for light Higgs bosons from supersymmetric cascade decays in collisions at

Area of Science:

• High Energy Physics
• Particle Physics
• Supersymmetry

Background:

• Searches for new physics beyond the Standard Model (SM) are crucial for understanding fundamental interactions.
• Supersymmetry (SUSY) is a theoretical extension of the SM predicting partner particles for known particles.
• Light Higgs bosons are predicted in some supersymmetric models, particularly in extensions like the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model (NMSSM).

Purpose of the Study:

• To search for pairs of light Higgs bosons ($$) produced in supersymmetric cascade decays.
• To test predictions of the next-to-minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (NMSSM).
• To set exclusion limits on the production of squarks and gluinos in a specific benchmark supersymmetric model.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of LHC collision data collected by the CMS detector at $$ with an integrated luminosity of 138$$.
• Targeting events with small missing transverse momentum and Higgs bosons decaying into pairs reconstructed as large-radius jets using substructure techniques.
• Interpretation of results within the NMSSM framework, focusing on scenarios with a light "singlino" and cascade decays.

Main Results:

• No significant excess of events beyond Standard Model background expectations was observed.
• Upper limits were set on the product of the squark/gluino pair production cross section and the branching fraction of the Higgs boson.
• Exclusion of $$ bosons with masses between 40-120$$ GeV arising from squark/gluino decays with masses of 1200-2500$$ GeV at 95% confidence level.

Conclusions:

• The search found no evidence for new physics in the studied channel.
• The results constrain specific supersymmetric scenarios, particularly those involving light Higgs bosons from cascade decays.
• The study demonstrates the sensitivity of the CMS detector to complex final states predicted by extensions of the Standard Model.