Search for additional neutral MSSM Higgs bosons in the Ï„Ï„ final state in proton-proton collisions at √s = 13TeV

Abstract

A search is presented for additional neutral Higgs bosons in the nal state in proton-proton collisions at the LHC. The search is performed in the context of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model (MSSM), using the data collected with the CMS detector in 2016 at a center-of-mass energy of 13TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fbð€€€1. To enhance the sensitivity to neutral MSSM Higgs bosons, the search includes production of the Higgs boson in association with b quarks. No signi cant deviation above the expected background is observed. Model-independent limits at 95% con dence level (CL) are set on the product of the branching fraction for the decay into leptons and the cross section for the production via gluon fusion or in association with b quarks. These limits range from 18 pb at 90 GeV to 3.5 fb at 3.2TeV for gluon fusion and from 15 pb (at 90 GeV) to 2.5 fb (at 3.2TeV) for production in association with b quarks, assuming a narrow width resonance. In the mmod+ h scenario these limits translate into a 95% CL exclusion of tan > 6 for neutral Higgs boson masses below 250 GeV, where tan is the ratio of the vacuum expectation values of the neutral components of the two Higgs doublets. The 95% CL exclusion contour reaches 1.6TeV for tan = 60.