$Z$ POLARIZATION IN $pp\to ZZ\to {\ell }^{+}{\ell }^{-}\nu \bar{\nu }$ AT THE LHC

Abstract

We evaluate the feasibility of measuring the $Z$ polarization from a heavy Higgs signal in the decay channel $H\to ZZ\to {\ell }^{+}{\ell }^{-}\nu \bar{\nu }$. Including gluon fusion production of the Higgs, continuum production of $Z$ pairs and the QCD background of single $Z$ production with a missing jet, we find that the average value of a new variable to measure the $Z$ polarization, as a function of transverse mass, will demonstrate the existence of a Higgs boson for heavy Higgs masses up to 800 GeV at the LHC with an integrated luminosity of 10${}^5$ pb${}^{-1}$.

Comments: contributed to DPF'94, Albuquerque, August 2-6, 1994. Latex (macro world_sci.sty), 5 pages + 6 uuencoded postscript figures, UIOWA-94-13