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Search for invisibly decaying Higgs bosons with large decay width using the OPAL detector at LEP

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Abstract

This paper describes a topological search for an invisibly decaying Higgs boson, H, produced via the Bjorken process (e+e-→HZ). The analysis is based on data recorded using the OPAL detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies from 183 to 209 GeV corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 629 pb-1. In the analysis only hadronic decays of the Z boson are considered. A scan over Higgs boson masses from 1 to 120 GeV and decay widths from 1 to 3000 GeV revealed no indication for a signal in the data. From a likelihood ratio of expected signal and standard model background we determine upper limits on cross-section times branching ratio to an invisible final state. For moderate Higgs boson decay widths, these range from about 0.07 pb (MH=60 GeV) to 0.57 pb (MH=114 GeV). For decay widths above 200 GeV the upper limits are of the order of 0.15 pb. The results can be interpreted in general scenarios predicting a large invisible decay width of the Higgs boson. As an example we interpret the results in the so-called stealthy Higgs scenario. The limits from this analysis exclude a large part of the parameter range of this scenario experimentally accessible at LEP 2.

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Correspondence to D.E. Plane.

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Abbiendi, G., Ainsley, C., Åkesson, P. et al. Search for invisibly decaying Higgs bosons with large decay width using the OPAL detector at LEP. Eur. Phys. J. C 49, 457–472 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-006-0170-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-006-0170-x

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