Decay of theb′Quark to a Standard Higgs Boson and abQuark

Abstract

Attention is drawn to the fact that if the fourth family exists then the decay of the charge $-\frac{1}{3}$ member quark ($b^{\prime }$) may be a very rich source for production of the standard-model Higgs particle. While definitive numerical predictions are not possible at present since values of masses and mixings are unknown, we find that for $m_{b^{\prime }}\lesssim 100$ GeV the mode $b^{\prime }\to b+H$ can be a very important decay, if not the dominant decay, of the $b^{\prime }$. Experimental consequences for hadronic and for $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ colliders and strategies for the detection of this elusive particle are discussed.