CMS-PAS-HIG-22-004

CMS-PAS-HIG-22-004
Search for a heavy CP-odd Higgs boson decaying into a 125 GeV Higgs boson and a Z boson in final states with two tau and two light leptons at $ \sqrt{s}= $ 13 TeV
CMS Collaboration
20 July 2024

Abstract: A search for a heavy CP-odd Higgs boson, $ \mathrm{A} $, decaying into a 125 GeV Higgs boson $ \mathrm{h} $ and a Z boson is presented. The $ \mathrm{h} $ boson is identified via its decay into a pair of tau leptons, while the Z boson is identified via its decay to a pair of electrons or muons. The search targets production of the $ \mathrm{A} $ boson via the gluon-gluon fusion process, $ \mathrm{gg\rightarrow A} $, and in association with bottom quarks, $ \mathrm{b\bar{b}A} $. The analysis uses a data sample collected with the CMS detector at $ \sqrt{s} = $ 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. Constraints are set on the product of the branching fraction for the $ \mathrm{A}\rightarrow\mathrm{Zh} $ decay and the cross sections of the $ \mathrm{A} $ production mechanisms. The observed (expected) upper limit at 95% confidence level ranges from 0.055 (0.072) pb to 1.00 (0.80) pb for the $ \mathrm{gg\rightarrow A} $ process and from 0.051 (0.067) pb to 0.77 (0.63) pb for the $ \mathrm{b\bar{b}A} $ process in the probed range of the $ \mathrm{A} $ boson mass, $ m_{\mathrm{A}} $, between 225 GeV to 800 GeV. The results of the search are used to constrain parameters within the $ {\text{M}_{\text{h,EFT}}^{\text{125}}} $ benchmark scenario of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model. Values of $ \tan\beta $ below 2.2 are excluded in this scenario at 95% confidence level for all $ m_{\mathrm{A}} $ values in the range from 225 GeV to 350 GeV.
Links: CDS record (PDF) ; Physics Briefing ; CADI line (restricted) ; These preliminary results are superseded in this paper, Submitted to JHEP. The superseded preliminary plots can be found here.

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