Search for a standard model-like Higgs boson in the μ⁺μ⁻ and e⁺e⁻ decay channels at the LHC

A search is presented for a standard model-like Higgs boson decaying to the μ⁺μ⁻ or e⁺e⁻ final states based on proton–proton collisions recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. The data correspond to integrated luminosities of 5.0 fb⁻¹ at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and 19.7 fb⁻¹ at 8 TeV for the μ⁺μ⁻ search, and of 19.7 fb⁻¹ at 8 TeV for the e⁺e⁻ search. Upper limits on the production cross section times branching fraction at the 95% confidence level are reported for Higgs boson masses in the range from 120 to 150 GeV. For a Higgs boson with a mass of 125 GeV decaying to μ⁺μ⁻, the observed (expected) upper limit on the production rate is found to be 7.4 (6.5_−1.9 ^+2.8) times the standard model value. This corresponds to an upper limit on the branching fraction of 0.0016. Similarly, for e⁺e⁻, an upper limit of 0.0019 is placed on the branching fraction, which is ≈3.7×10⁵ times the standard model value. These results, together with recent evidence of the 125 GeV boson coupling to τ-leptons with a larger branching fraction consistent with the standard model, confirm that the leptonic couplings of the new boson are not flavour-universal.