Same bump, different channel: Higgs fakes from technicolor

Abstract

Resonant production of a light, narrow techni-rho, followed by the decay $\rho_T \rightarrow W+\pi_T(jj)$ has been proposed as an explanation of the Wjj excess observed by CDF. If the $\pi_T$ decays to $\tau+\nu/\tau^+ \tau^-$ rather than to jets, subsequent leptonic $\tau$ decay leads to $\ell^+\ell^- \nu\nu\bar{\nu}\bar{\nu}$, a final state that will be picked up by standard model $WW^{(*)} \rightarrow \ell^+\ell^-$ + MET Higgs searches. We point out that, for the same range of technicolor parameters required to fit the CDF Wjj excess, the correlated $\ell^+\ell^-$ + MET technicolor signal can have strength comparable to that of an intermediate-mass standard model Higgs boson, and therefore could be visible at the Tevatron or LHC.