Use of transverse beam polarization to probe anomalous VVH interactions at a Linear Collider

Abstract

We investigate use of transverse beam polarization in probing anomalous coupling of a Higgs boson to a pair of vector bosons, at the International Linear Collider (ILC). We consider the most general form of VVH (V = W/Z) vertex consistent with Lorentz invariance and investigate its effects on the process e+ e- --> f bar{f} H, f being a light fermion. Constructing observables with definite CP and naive time reversal (tilde T) transformation properties, we find that transverse beam polarization helps us to improve on the sensitivity of one part of the anomalous ZZH coupling that is odd under CP. Even more importantly it provides the possibility of discriminating from each other, two terms in the general ZZH vertex, both of which are even under CP and tilde T. Use of transverse beam polarization when combined with information from unpolarized and linearly polarized beams therefore, allows one to have completely independent probes of all the different parts of a general ZZH vertex.