Discovering the Higgs Through Highly-Displaced Vertices

TL;DR

The paper argues that the Higgs could be discovered through decays to long-lived neutral particles that produce displaced vertices, a scenario plausible in hidden-valley and weakly-coupled scalar models. It analyzes two fundamental-scalar constructions and composite v-hadron scenarios, showing that Higgs branching fractions to these states can be observable (potentially at the percent level) and that lifetimes can yield macroscopic displacements, including multiple displaced vertices per event. It also discusses SUSY generalizations and the conditions needed to keep certain decays long-lived, and it emphasizes the experimental implications for Tevatron and LHC programs, including the potential role of LHCb. Overall, the work broadens Higgs-search strategies beyond conventional channels, arguing for a comprehensive program to trigger on and study displaced-vertex signatures across a wide range of models.

Abstract

We suggest that the Higgs could be discovered at the Tevatron or the LHC (perhaps at the LHCb detector) through decays with one or more substantially displaced vertices from the decay of new neutral particles. This signal may occur with a small but measurable branching fraction in the recently-described ``hidden valley'' models, hep-ph/0604261; weakly-coupled models with multiple scalars, including those of hep-ph/0511250, can also provide such signals, potentially with a much larger branching fraction. This decay channel may extend the Higgs mass reach for the Tevatron. Unusual combinations of b jets, lepton pairs and/or missing energy may accompany this signal.

Figures (1)

• Figure 1: Higgs decay to v-hadrons, each of which decays to $b\bar{b}$.