Observation of a new particle in the search for the Standard Model Higgs boson with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

Journal article

A search for the Standard Model Higgs boson in proton-proton collisions with the ATLAS detector at the LHC is presented. The datasets used correspond to integrated luminosities of approximately 4.8 fb-1 collected at s=7 TeV in 2011 and 5.8 fb-1 at s=8 TeV in 2012. Individual searches in the channels H→ZZ(*)→4ℓ, H→γγ and H→WW(*)→eνμν in the 8 TeV data are combined with previously published results of searches for H→ZZ(*), WW(*), bb- and τ+τ- in the 7 TeV data and results from improved analyses of the H→ZZ(*)→4ℓ and H→γγ channels in the 7 TeV data. Clear evidence for the production of a neutral boson with a measured mass of 126.0±0.4(stat)±0.4(sys)GeV is presented. This observation, which has a significance of 5.9 standard deviations, corresponding to a background fluctuation probability of 1.7×10-9, is compatible with the production and decay of the Standard Model Higgs boson. © 2012 CERN.

Authors: Aad, G; Abajyan, T; Abbott, B; Abdallah, J; Khalek, SA

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Physics Letters B
• Volume: 716
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 1-29
• Publication date: 2012-09-17
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physletb.2012.08.020
• ISSN: 0370-2693