Contribution of transverse gauge bosons to higgs production and the equivalent vector boson approximation

Abstract

It is shown that for intermediate Higgs masses, in the range 0.3- 0.6 TeV, the contribution σ_T of the transversely polarized gauge bosons (V) to the process qq→qqVV→qqH, in the leading log (LL) Equivalent Vector Boson Approximation (EVBA) is comparable to the contribution σ_L of the longitudinal ones. As a result the LL EVBA for σ=σ_L+σ_T overestimates the exact total cross-section by ~100-200 % at the q₁q₂ centre of mass energies of interest for SSC; viz. 5-10 TeV. An improved formulation of the EVBA leads to modified vector boson densities. These densities lead to an EVBA estimate, including the transverse contributions, which agrees with the exact calculation, for m_H as low as 0.3 TeV, within 20-30 % upto quark energies ~5-10 TeV.