Search for a doubly charged Higgs decaying to muons or electrons: Prospects for CMS Run III

A variety of exotic models predict a doubly charged Higgs-like particle that can be pair-produced in hadronic interactions via a Drell-Yan-like mechanism. The H++ and H-- can each decay to a pair of like-sign leptons (muons or electrons in this study) with TeV-scale mass, providing a distinctive event signature. We report the results of preliminary studies for the sensitivity of the CMS experiment during Run III. The efficiencies for the signal and major Standard Model backgrounds are determined and an event selection is developed that enhances the sensitivity of the search. We present an estimate of the expected lower limit on the mass of the doubly charged Higgs.