Higgs Production at the LHC: an Update on Cross Sections and Branching Ratios

Abstract

New theoretical and experimental information motivates a re-examination of the Standard Model Higgs production rates at the LHC pp collider. We present calculations of the relevant cross sections and branching ratios, including recently calculated QCD next-to-leading order corrections, new parton distributions fitted to recent HERA structure function data, and new values for electroweak input parameters, in particular for the top quark mass. Cross sections are calculated at two collider energies, $\sqrt{s} = 10$ TeV and 14 TeV.

37 pages, latex, epsfig, 18 postscript figures bitmapped at 100dpi, complete paper including high resolution plots available at ftp://axpa.hep.phy.cam.ac.uk/stefano/cavendish_9620 and at http://www.hep.phy.cam.ac.uk/theory/papers/ (version accepted for publication in Z.Phys.C: discussion on the scale dependence at NLO added, some references rearranged, other minor corrections)