Classification Schemes for Highly-Boosted Production Modes of Higgs Bosons at the LHC

A wide variety of particle physics models predict new particles at the TeV scale; however, even the Large Hadron Collider may not be capable of directly producing such particles. Consequently, there has been recent emphasis on indirect detection of new particles through precision measurements of the production cross section of Higgs bosons, usually measured in the gluon-gluon fusion (ggF) channel at high momentum, where the contribution of new particle loops can have significant impact. Vector Boson Fusion (VBF) and Associated Weak Production (VH) mechanisms present a large, though reducible, Higgs background to ggF. In this project we present an analysis of an all-hadronic signature of VBF and VH in order to identify a set of robust discriminating variables which may aid in separating contributions from ggF, VBF, and VH production. Using a standard simulation pipeline, we generate samples in VBF and VH with subsequent Higgs boson decay to a pair of b quarks. We explore the effectiveness of a mass requirement on classifying non-Higgs candidate jets as having originated from VBF or VH production. Selected jets are then used in a kinematic analysis of the event geometry to classify the contributions.