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Evidence for Higgs boson decay to a pair of muons

The collaboration
JHEP 01 (2021) 148, 2021.

Abstract (data abstract)
Evidence for Higgs boson decay to a pair of muons is presented. This result combines searches in four exclusive categories targeting the production of the Higgs boson via gluon fusion, via vector boson fusion, in association with a vector boson, and in association with a top quark-antiquark pair. The analysis is performed using proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s}=13~\mathrm{TeV}$, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $137~\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$, recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. An excess of events over the background expectation is observed in data with a significance of 3.0 standard deviations, where the expectation for the standard model (SM) Higgs boson with mass of 125.38 GeV is 2.5. The combination of this result with that from data recorded at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ and 8\TeV, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 5.1 and $19.7~\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$, respectively, increases both the expected and observed significances by 1\%. The measured signal strength, relative to the SM prediction, is $1.19^{+0.40}_{-0.39}(\mathrm{stat})^{+0.15}_{-0.14}(\mathrm{syst})$. This result constitutes the first evidence for the decay of the Higgs boson to second generation fermions and is the most precise measurement of the Higgs boson coupling to muons reported to date.

• #### VBF DNN distribution in the signal region 2016

Data from Figure 1 (first row, left)

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The observed DNN output distribution in the VBF-SR region for data collected in 2016 compared to the post-fit background estimate...

• #### VBF DNN distribution in the signal region 2017

Data from Figure 1 (first row, right)

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The observed DNN output distribution in the VBF-SR region for data collected in 2017 compared to the post-fit background estimate...

• #### VBF DNN distribution in the signal region 2018

Data from Figure 1 (second row)

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The observed DNN output distribution in the VBF-SR region for data collected in 2018 compared to the post-fit background estimate...

• #### VBF DNN distribution in the sideband region 2016

Data from Figure 2 (first row, left)

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The observed DNN output distribution for data collected in 2016 in the VBF-SB region compared to the post-fit background estimate...

• #### VBF DNN distribution in the sideband region 2017

Data from Figure 2 (first row, right)

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The observed DNN output distribution for data collected in 2017 in the VBF-SB region compared to the post-fit background estimate...

• #### VBF DNN distribution in the sideband region 2018

Data from Figure 2 (second row)

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The observed DNN output distribution for data collected in 2018 in the VBF-SB region compared to the post-fit background estimate...

• #### VBF DNN distribution in the sideband region Run2

Data from Figure 3 (left)

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The observed DNN output distribution in the VBF-SB regions for the combination of 2016, 2017, and 2018 data, compared to...

• #### VBF DNN distribution in the signal region Run2

Data from Figure 3 (right)

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The observed DNN output distribution in the VBF-SR region for the combination of 2016, 2017, and 2018 data, compared to...

• #### ggH BDT distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 4 (left)

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The observed BDT output distribution compared to the prediction from the simulation of various SM background processes. Dimuon events passing...

• #### ggH-cat1 mass distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 5 (first row, left)

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Comparison between the data and the total background extracted from a S+B fit performed in the ggH-cat1 subcategory. The one...

• #### ggH-cat2 mass distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 5 (first row, right)

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Comparison between the data and the total background extracted from a S+B fit performed in the ggH-cat2 subcategory. The one...

• #### ggH-cat3 mass distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 5 (second row, left)

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Comparison between the data and the total background extracted from a S+B fit performed in the ggH-cat3 subcategory. The one...

• #### ggH-cat4 mass distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 5 (second row, right)

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Comparison between the data and the total background extracted from a S+B fit performed in the ggH-cat4 subcategory. The one...

• #### ggH-cat5 mass distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 5 (third row)

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Comparison between the data and the total background extracted from a S+B fit performed in the ggH-cat5 subcategory. The one...

• #### ttHhad BDT distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 6 (left)

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The observed BDT output distribution compared to the prediction from the simulation of various SM background processes. Dimuon events passing...

• #### ttHlep BDT distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 6 (right)

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The observed BDT output distribution compared to the prediction from the simulation of various SM background processes. Dimuon events passing...

• #### ttHhad-cat1 mass distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 7 (first row, left)

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Comparison between the data and the total background extracted from a S+B fit performed in the ttHhad-cat1 subcategory. The one...

• #### ttHhad-cat2 mass distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 7 (first row, right)

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Comparison between the data and the total background extracted from a S+B fit performed in the ttHhad-cat2 subcategory. The one...

• #### ttHhad-cat3 mass distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 7 (second row, left)

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Comparison between the data and the total background extracted from a S+B fit performed in the ttHhad-cat3 subcategory. The one...

• #### ttHlep-cat1 mass distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 7 (second row, right)

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Comparison between the data and the total background extracted from a S+B fit performed in the ttHlep-cat1 subcategory. The one...

• #### ttHlep-cat2 mass distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 7 (third row)

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Comparison between the data and the total background extracted from a S+B fit performed in the ttHlep-cat2 subcategory. The one...

• #### WH BDT distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 8 (left)

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The observed BDT output distribution compared to the prediction from the simulation of various SM background processes. Dimuon events passing...

• #### ZH BDT distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 8 (right)

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The observed BDT output distribution compared to the prediction from the simulation of various SM background processes. Dimuon events passing...

• #### WH-cat1 mass distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 9 (first row, left)

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Comparison between the data and the total background extracted from a S+B fit performed in the WH-cat1 subcategory. The one...

• #### WH-cat2 mass distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 9 (first row, right)

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Comparison between the data and the total background extracted from a S+B fit performed in the WH-cat2 subcategory. The one...

• #### WH-cat3 mass distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 9 (second row, left)

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Comparison between the data and the total background extracted from a S+B fit performed in the WH-cat3 subcategory. The one...

• #### ZH-cat1 mass distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 9 (second row, right)

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Comparison between the data and the total background extracted from a S+B fit performed in the ZH-cat1 subcategory. The one...

• #### ZH-cat2 mass distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 9 (third row)

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Comparison between the data and the total background extracted from a S+B fit performed in the ZH-cat2 subcategory. The one...

• #### Observed local p-value

Data from Figure 10 (left)

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Observed local p-values as a function of the Higgs boson mass hypothesis extracted from the combined fit across event categories...

• #### Expected local p-value

Data from Figure 10 (right)

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Expected local p-values as a function of the Higgs boson mass hypothesis extracted from the combined fit across event categories...

• #### Signal strength per category

Data from Figure 11 (left)

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Signal strength modifiers measured for a Higgs boson with mass of 125.38 GeV in each production category as well as...

• #### Likelihood scan asaf of fermion and vector boson couplings

Data from Figure 11 (right)

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Scan of the profiled likelihood ratio as a function of $\mu_{ggH,t\overline{t}H}$ and $\mu_{VBF,VH}$.

• #### Likelihood contours at 68% CL

Data from Figure 11 (right)

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The 68% CL contour for the profiled likelihood scan as a function of $\mu_{ggH,t\overline{t}H}$ and $\mu_{VBF,VH}$.

• #### Likelihood contours at 95% CL

Data from Figure 11 (right)

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The 95% CL contour for the profiled likelihood scan as a function of $\mu_{ggH,t\overline{t}H}$ and $\mu_{VBF,VH}$.

• #### VBF mass distribution in the signal region Run2

Data from Figure 12 (left)

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The mass distribution for the weighted combination of VBF-SB and VBF-SR events. Each event is weighted proportionally to the S/(S+B)...

• #### Weighted mass distribution in the signal region

Data from Figure 12 (right)

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Comparison between the data and the total background extracted for the S/(S+B) weighted combination of all event categories. The one...

• #### Local p-value Run1 and Run2 combination

Data from Figure 13

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Observed and expected local p-values as a function of the Higgs boson mass hypothesis extracted from the combined fit performed...

• #### Higgs boson coupling strength to muons

Data from Figure 14 (left)

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The observed profile likelihood ratio as a function of $\kappa_{\mu}$ for a Higgs boson mass of 125.38 GeV, obtained from...

• #### Higgs boson coupling strength to SM particles

Data from Figure 14 (right)

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The best fit estimates for the reduced coupling modifiers extracted for fermions and weak bosons from the resolved $\kappa$-framework compared...