A search for the production of a W boson and a Higgs boson through vector boson scattering (VBS) is presented, using CMS data from proton-proton collisions at s=13TeV collected from 2016 to 2018. The integrated luminosity of the data sample is 138fb−1. Selected events must be consistent with the presence of two jets originating from VBS, the leptonic decay of the W boson to an electron or muon, possibly also through an intermediate τ lepton, and a Higgs boson decaying into a pair of b quarks, reconstructed as either a single merged jet or two resolved jets. A measurement of the process as predicted by the standard model (SM) is performed alongside a study of beyond-the-SM (BSM) scenarios. The SM analysis sets an observed (expected) 95% confidence level upper limit of 14.3 (9.9) on the ratio of the measured VBS WH cross section to that expected by the SM. The BSM analysis, conducted within the so-called κ framework, excludes all scenarios with λWZ<0 that are consistent with current measurements, where λWZ=κW/κZ and κW and κZ are the HWW and HZZ coupling modifiers, respectively. The significance of the exclusion is beyond 5 standard deviations, and it is consistent with the SM expectation of λWZ=1.

Study of WH production through vector boson scattering and extraction of the relative sign of the W and Z couplings to the Higgs boson in proton-proton collisions at s=13TeV

Alexe, C.;Bruschini, D.;
2025

Abstract

A search for the production of a W boson and a Higgs boson through vector boson scattering (VBS) is presented, using CMS data from proton-proton collisions at s=13TeV collected from 2016 to 2018. The integrated luminosity of the data sample is 138fb−1. Selected events must be consistent with the presence of two jets originating from VBS, the leptonic decay of the W boson to an electron or muon, possibly also through an intermediate τ lepton, and a Higgs boson decaying into a pair of b quarks, reconstructed as either a single merged jet or two resolved jets. A measurement of the process as predicted by the standard model (SM) is performed alongside a study of beyond-the-SM (BSM) scenarios. The SM analysis sets an observed (expected) 95% confidence level upper limit of 14.3 (9.9) on the ratio of the measured VBS WH cross section to that expected by the SM. The BSM analysis, conducted within the so-called κ framework, excludes all scenarios with λWZ<0 that are consistent with current measurements, where λWZ=κW/κZ and κW and κZ are the HWW and HZZ coupling modifiers, respectively. The significance of the exclusion is beyond 5 standard deviations, and it is consistent with the SM expectation of λWZ=1.
2025
Settore PHYS-01/A - Fisica sperimentale delle interazioni fondamentali e applicazioni
CMS; Higgs; Vector boson scattering; Broken symmetries; Gauge
   Advanced Multi-Variate Analysis for New Physics Searches at the LHC
   AMVA4NewPhysics
   European Commission
   Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
   675440

   Search for Higgs bosons decaying to charm quarks
   HIGCC
   European Commission
   Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
   724704

   Direct and indirect searches for new physics in events with top quarks using LHC proton-proton collisions at the CMS detector
   LHCTOPVLQ
   European Commission
   Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
   752730

   Majorana neutrino discovery strategy with CMS
   MajorNet
   European Commission
   Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
   758316

   International Training Network for Statistics in High Energy Physics and Society
   INSIGHTS
   European Commission
   Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
   765710

   The strong interaction at the frontier of knowledge: fundamental research and applications
   STRONG-2020
   European Commission
   Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
   824093

   INnovative TRiggEr techniques for beyond the standard model PhysIcs Discovery at the LHC
   INTREPID
   European Commission
   Horizon Europe Framework Programme
   101115353

   Fundamental properties and time-scan of QCD matter at high densities and temperature exposed by jet substructure in heavy ion collisions with CMS experiment at the LHC
   QCDHighDensityCMS
   European Commission
   Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
   101002207
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11384/154892
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