Probing a 2HDM type-I light Higgs state via <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:msub><mml:mi>H</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mi>SM</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:mo stretchy="false">→</mml:mo><mml:mi>h</mml:mi><mml:mi>h</mml:mi><mml:mo stretchy="false">→</mml:mo><mml:mi>b</mml:mi><mml:mover accent="true"><mml:mi>b</mml:mi><mml:mo stretchy="false">¯</mml:mo></mml:mover><mml:mi>γ</mml:mi><mml:mi>γ</mml:mi></mml:math> at the LHC

Abstract

We study the discovery potential for a light Higgs boson via <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><a:mrow><a:mi>g</a:mi><a:mi>g</a:mi><a:mo stretchy="false">→</a:mo><a:msub><a:mrow><a:mi>H</a:mi></a:mrow><a:mrow><a:mi>SM</a:mi><a:mtext>−</a:mtext><a:mi>like</a:mi></a:mrow></a:msub><a:mo stretchy="false">→</a:mo><a:mi>h</a:mi><a:mi>h</a:mi><a:mo stretchy="false">→</a:mo><a:mi>b</a:mi><a:mover accent="true"><a:mrow><a:mi>b</a:mi></a:mrow><a:mrow><a:mo stretchy="false">¯</a:mo></a:mrow></a:mover><a:mi>γ</a:mi><a:mi>γ</a:mi></a:mrow></a:math> process at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Focusing on the 2-Higgs Doublet Model Type-I, which can accommodate light neutral Higgs states, of <h:math xmlns:h="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><h:mi mathvariant="script">O</h:mi><h:mo stretchy="false">(</h:mo><h:mn>100</h:mn><h:mo stretchy="false">)</h:mo><h:mtext> </h:mtext><h:mtext> </h:mtext><h:mi>GeV</h:mi></h:math> or less in mass, while agreeing with theoretical and up-to-date experimental constraints, we explore the feasibility of a light <m:math xmlns:m="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><m:mi>C</m:mi><m:mi>P</m:mi></m:math>-even Higgs state <o:math xmlns:o="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><o:mi>h</o:mi></o:math> via the largely unexplored final state <q:math xmlns:q="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><q:mi>b</q:mi><q:mover accent="true"><q:mi>b</q:mi><q:mo stretchy="false">¯</q:mo></q:mover><q:mi>γ</q:mi><q:mi>γ</q:mi></q:math> at Run-3 of the LHC. We further propose a few benchmark points for future searches.