Application of K Factors in the H-> ZZ*->4l Analysis at the LHC

Abstract

Higher order corrections to the Higgs and the non-resonant ZZ production at the LHC are evaluated within the context of the H->4l analysis for Higgs masses 120<MH<180 gev. The impact of experimental cuts on the Next-to-Leading Order K factors for Higgs and non-resonant ZZ production is small. The discovery potential of the H->4l modes is re-evaluated. With the application of conservative higher order corrections the amount of luminosity needed to achieve a 5 sigma signal significance with the H-> 4l modes drops by 30-35%, depending on the Higgs mass.