ATLAS to Present Updated Higgs Analysis Results in Upcoming Joint CERN / ICHEP Seminar

29 June 2012 | By

ATLAS Collaboration

ATLAS event containing four muons. This event is consistent with coming from two Z particles decaying: both Z particles decay to two muons each. Such events are produced by Standard Model processes without Higgs particles. They are also a possible signature for Higgs particle production, but many events must be analysed together in order to tell if there is a Higgs signal. This view is a zoom into the central part of the detector. The four muons are picked out as red tracks. Other tracks and deposits of energy in the calorimeters are shown in yellow.

The ATLAS Experiment will be presenting its most recent results from searches for the Higgs Boson at the LHC in a dedicated seminar to be held at CERN on 4 July at 9:00 CET.

The preliminary results, to be presented alongside those of CMS, are a significant update from earlier publications, as they will include the analysis of 8 TeV proton collision data recorded so far in 2012.

Previous measurements, based on 7 TeV proton collision data recorded in 2011, limited the mass of the Higgs at 95% confidence to a narrow range between about 115.5 GeV and 131 GeV, and a small excess of events above the expected background was seen by both ATLAS and CMS around 126 GeV.

The seminar will be held in the CERN Amphitheatre with a direct video link for physicists attending the ICHEP 2012 conference in Melbourne, Australia, and a public webcast. Registered journalists will be able to view the webcast in the CERN Council Chamber and a press conference will shortly follow.

The Higgs Boson is a key component of the Standard Model, a highly successful theory that provides a very precise description of matter. Identification of the Higgs Boson would be a major accomplishment, providing physicists with a better understanding of the mechanism that gives mass to elementary particles and opening the door to a variety of new physics searches.