At the 2025 European Physics Conference (EPS-HEP) held in Marseille, France, Atlas’ collaboration presented compelling new discoveries in its study of the collapse of Higgsboson.
The results show a major leap in identifying two elusive attenuation modes of Higgs Boson from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) based on the combination of Run 2 and Early Run 3 data.
These rare decay pathways are not just statistical anomalies. It can reconstruct our understanding of how basic particles acquire mass, and even suggest physics beyond standard models.
What is Higgs Boson?
First predicted in the 1960s and confirmed in 2012, the Higgs Boson is the basis for a standard model of particle physics.
It is linked to Higgsfield, an invisible energy field that penetrates space and imparts mass to particles. Without Higgsfield, the basic particles remain large, making the universe impossible, as we know it.
Studying the decay of Higgs-boson provides a deeper understanding of how this particle interacts with other basic particles, especially light generation particles, opening the door to new physics possibilities.
First evidence that Higgs collapses in Muong
The collapse of Higgs Boson into two moons is extremely rare, with one in 5,000 Higgs attenuated.
However, Muons belong to the second generation of Fermions, so it is a scientific concern.
Previously, Higgs interactions have been identified only in the heaviest third-generation particles, such as taurepton and upper and lower quarks.
By analyzing data from both LHC run 2 and initial run 3, ATLAS researchers reported a 3.4 standard deviation observation of H→μμ, with a predicted sensitivity of 2.5 standard deviation.
This enhances previous hints from both Atlas and CMS collaborations, bringing us closer to the discovery where this attenuation mode was confirmed.
Z-boson – Increased sensitivity of photon decay
The second major finding centers on H→Zγ decay. This pathway involves z-bosons that decay into either an electron pair or a mune pair and photons, and occurs through an intermediate loop of virtual particles.
Because these loops may contain unknown particles, this decay is a potential window into physics beyond the current standard model.
Atlas’ latest analysis found an excess consistent with this decay at 2.5 standard deviation, which increased from the expected sensitivity of 1.9.
This is currently the most severe and expected sensitivity to this process to date, surpassing the results of previous Atlas-CMS Run 2 data.
How researchers have revealed these unusual decays
Separating these rare signals was not easy. The background “noise” from standard particle interactions can easily hide subtle signs of Higgs boson decay.
To tackle this, scientists have improved background process modeling and sophisticated event selection techniques. Events were categorized by Higgs production mode to enhance clarity of potential attenuation signatures.
The success of this work was made possible by the vast dataset provided by LHC and the cutting-edge performance of ATLAS detectors.
A new era of discovery
These findings represent milestones in the Higgsboson research. As more data is poured from Run 3 and future LHC operations, researchers hope to strengthen these observations and confirm perhaps as a full-scale discovery.
With new insights into the Higgs-Boson Decay, scientists are approaching the possibility of unraveling the complete mechanisms of the universe and revealing new physics waiting beyond standard models.
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