Thursday, February 16, 2012

1202.3415 (Aleksandr Azatov et al.)

Model-Independent Bounds on a Light Higgs    [PDF]

Aleksandr Azatov, Roberto Contino, Jamison Galloway
We present up-to-date constraints on a generic Higgs parameter space. An
accurate assessment of these exclusions must take into account statistical, and
potentially signal, fluctuations in the data currently taken at the LHC. For
this, we have constructed a straightforward statistical method for making full
use of the data that is publicly available. We show that, using the expected
and observed exclusions which are quoted for each search channel, we can fully
reconstruct likelihood profiles under very reasonable and simple assumptions.
Even working with this somewhat limited information, we show that our method is
sufficiently accurate to warrant its study and advocate its use over more naive
prescriptions. Using this method, we can begin to narrow in on the remaining
viable parameter space for a Higgs-like scalar state, and to ascertain the
nature of any hints of new physics---Higgs or otherwise---appearing in the
data.
View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1202.3415

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