Searches for the Higgs boson at the LHC

Abstract

The search strategy for the Standard Model Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider is reviewed, with a particular emphasis on its potential observation by the ATLAS and CMS detectors in the $\gamma\gamma$, $\tau^+\tau^-$, $ZZ^{*}$ and $WW^{*}$ final states. The combined Higgs discovery potential of ATLAS and CMS is discussed, as well as the expected exclusion limits on the production rate times the branching ratio as a function of the Higgs mass and the collected luminosity.