Higgs boson production at a photon linear collider

• Published in: Physical review. D, Particles and fields Particles and fields, 1993-11, Vol.48 (9), p.4018-4028
• Main Authors: BORDEN, D. L, BAUER, D. A, CALDWELL, D. O
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 662210 - Specific Theories & Interaction Models; 662310 - Weak & Electromagnetic Interactions of Leptons- (1992-); 662440 - Properties of Other Particles Including Hypothetical Particles- (1992-); ACCELERATORS; Applications of electroweak models to specific processes; BEAMS; Electroweak interactions; ELEMENTARY PARTICLES; Exact sciences and technology; Gauge bosons; HIGGS BOSONS; LINEAR ACCELERATORS; LINEAR COLLIDERS; LUMINOSITY; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; OPTICAL PROPERTIES; Other particles (including hypothetical); Pa; PARTICLE MODELS; PARTICLE PRODUCTION; Particle Systematics- Unified Theories & Models- (1992-); PHOTON BEAMS; Photons; PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; Physics; PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS; POLARIZED BEAMS; POSTULATED PARTICLES; POTENTIALS; Properties of specific particles; Specific reactions and phenomenology; Specific theories and interaction models; particle systematics; SPECTRA; STANDARD MODEL; Standard-model higgs bosons; SYMMETRY BREAKING; The physics of elementary particles and fields; UNIFIED GAUGE MODELS; Weak and electromagnetic interactions of leptons
• ISSN: 0556-2821; 1089-4918
• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.48.4018

The collision of high-energy, high-intensity photon beams would provide novel opportunities for particle physics. These beams could be obtained at a linear [ital e][sup +][ital e[minus]] collider via Compton backscattering using high-powered lasers. The resulting photon linear collider offers highly polarized beams, large luminosities, and a variable luminosity spectrum. We examine the potential of such a machine to explore the Higgs sector of the standard model. We find a photon linear collider with [radical][ital s] [approx]250 GeV to be an excellent tool to search for an intermediate-mass Higgs boson, with the polarized photon beams being a particular asset, as they can be used to suppress backgrounds while enhancing the signal. In searching for intermediate-mass standard model Higgs bosons, a signal in excess of 10[sigma] over the entire intermediate mass region is possible with even moderate luminosity. Even more important is the application of a photon linear collider to measurement of the two-photon width of the Higgs boson, a measurement which gives crucial information about the nature of spontaneous symmetry breaking. We calculate that a photon linear collider with energy tuned to the Higgs boson mass allows a measurement of the two-photon width of the Higgs boson with a statistical precision of better than 10% over most of the intermediate- and heavy-mass range.