Erlangen 2026 – scientific programme

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T: Fachverband Teilchenphysik

T 47: Higgs Physics V

T 47.8: Talk

Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 18:00–18:15, KH 00.014

Studies for validating the CMS Run-3 HH→bbγγ analysis with ZZ→bbe⁺e⁻ events — Johannes Erdmann, •Lea Jakubowski, and Nitish Kumar — III. Physikalisches Institut A, RWTH Aachen University

Since its discovery, the properties of the Higgs boson have been the subject of extensive study. Of particular interest is the structure of the Higgs potential, which can be constrained by measuring the trilinear Higgs self-coupling. This coupling can be accessed via Higgs boson pair production. However, owing to the small predicted production cross-section relative to the background processes, it has yet to be observed experimentally.

A particularly promising channel for probing this interaction is the HH→bbγγ decay. Its sensitivity arises from the large branching fraction of H→bb, combined with the low background rates and excellent mass resolution achievable in the H→γγ final state.

This talk presents studies for validating the CMS Run-3 non-resonant HH→bbγγ analysis via a well-understood Standard Model process with a similar final-state topology. The validation channel, ZZ→bbe⁺e⁻, is chosen due to its significantly higher cross-section compared to di-Higgs production and the similar detector signatures of electrons and photons, which yield a final-state signature closely mirroring HH→bbγγ. By employing an analysis strategy analogous to that of the HH→bbγγ search, we perform studies toward a cross-section measurement of ZZ→bbe⁺e⁻ that aims to provide a robust validation and benchmark for the di-Higgs analysis.

Keywords: di-higgs; Higgs self-coupling; bbgg; ZZ; CMS