Higgs studies in polarized gamma-gamma collisions

Abstract

The study of an intermediate mass Higgs boson, via the process gamma-gamma -> H -> bbbar from an initiallypolarized J_z = 0 state, has been advocated as an important feasible goal of a future photon linear collider. The crucial argument was the m_b^2/s suppression of the background process gamma-gamma (J_z = 0) -> bbbar. We critically review the contribution of the radiative background processes (in which the m_b^2/s suppression is absent) to the quasi-two-jet-like events with at least one, but preferably two, tagged energetic b jets. Within a complete study of the radiative processes, we find that a sizeable background contribution can come from the helicity-violating gamma-gamma (J_z = 0) -> bbbar process accompanied by soft gluon emission. These latter radiative corrections contain a new type of double logarithmic (DL) terms. We clarify the physical nature of these novel DL corrections. Despite the fact that the one-loop DL terms are comparable or even larger than the Born term, fortunately we find that the calculation of the cross section in the two-loop approximation is sufficient for a reliable evaluation of the background to the Higgs signal.