Higgs Production at the LHC: an Update on Cross Sections and Branching Ratios
Z. Kunszt, S. Moretti, W. J. Stirling
TL;DR
The paper addresses the need for precise SM Higgs predictions at the LHC by incorporating the latest NLO QCD corrections, updated parton distributions, and revised electroweak inputs. It computes Higgs production cross sections via gluon-gluon fusion, vector-boson fusion, and associated production at $10$ and $14$ TeV, and combines these with updated branching ratios to deliver event-rate predictions across $M_H$ from $80$ GeV to $1$ TeV. The study analyzes theoretical uncertainties from PDFs, $\alpha_s$, and scale choices, finding roughly $\pm 20$% from PDFs/alpha_s and $\pm 30$% from scale variation for the dominant gluon-fusion channel, and offers benchmark normalizations for experimental simulations. It also identifies promising discovery channels such as $H\to \gamma\gamma$ and $H\to ZZ\to 4\ell$, providing guidance for LHC search strategies across the Higgs mass spectrum.
Abstract
New theoretical and experimental information motivates a re-examination of the Standard Model Higgs production rates at the LHC pp collider. We present calculations of the relevant cross sections and branching ratios, including recently calculated QCD next-to-leading order corrections, new parton distributions fitted to recent HERA structure function data, and new values for electroweak input parameters, in particular for the top quark mass. Cross sections are calculated at two collider energies, $\sqrt{s} = 10$ TeV and 14 TeV.