Search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying to bottom quarks in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV

A search for the standard model Higgs boson (H) decaying to (b) over barb when produced in association with weak vector bosons (V) is reported for the following modes: W(mu nu)H, W(e nu)H, Z(mu mu)H, Z(ee)H and Z(nu nu)H. The search is performed in a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb(-1), recorded by the CMS detector in proton-proton collisions at the LHC with a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. No significant excess of events above the expectation from background is observed. Upper limits on the VH production cross section times the H -> b (b) over bar branching ratio, with respect to the expectations for a standard model Higgs boson, are derived for a Higgs boson in the mass range 110-135 GeV. In this range, the observed 95% confidence level upper limits vary from 3.4 to 7.5 times the standard model prediction; the corresponding expected limits vary from 2.7 to 6.7 times the standard model prediction. (C) 2012 CERN. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. RI Lokhtin, Igor/D-7004-2012; Perfilov, Maxim/E-1064-2012; Belyaev, Andrey/E-1540-2012; Dudko, Lev/D-7127-2012; Boos, Eduard/D-9748-2012; Snigirev, Alexander/D-8912-2012; Johnson, Mark/B-6921-2009; Tomei, Thiago/E-7091-2012; Focardi, Ettore/E-7376-2012; Raidal, Martti/F-4436-2012; Palla, Fabrizio/F-4727-2012; Gregores, Eduardo/F-8702-2012; Novaes, Sergio/D-3532-2012; Padula, Sandra /G-3560-2012; Tinoco Mendes, Andre David/D-4314-2011; Flix, Josep/G-5414-2012; Fruhwirth, Rudolf/H-2529-2012; Chen, Jie/H-6210-2011; Torassa, Ezio/I-1788-2012