Search for a low-mass pseudoscalar Higgs boson produced in association with a $b\overline{b}$ pair in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV

Abstract

A search is reported for a light pseudoscalar Higgs boson decaying to a pair of $τ$ leptons, produced in association with a $b\overline{b}$ pair, in the context of two-Higgs-doublet models. The results are based on pp collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb$^{−1}$. Pseudoscalar boson masses between 25 and 80 GeV are probed. No evidence for a pseudoscalar boson is found and upper limits are set on the product of cross section and branching fraction to τ pairs between 7 and 39 pb at the 95% confidence level. This excludes pseudoscalar A bosons with masses between 25 and 80 GeV, with SM-like Higgs boson negative couplings to down-type fermions, produced in association with $b\overline{b}$ pairs, in Type II, two-Higgs-doublet models.