Higgs boson physics in the s-channel at mu(+)mu(-) colliders

Techniques and strategies for discovering and measuring the properties of Higgs bosons via s-channel production at a mu(+)mu(-) collider, and the associated requirements for the machine and detector, are discussed in detail. The unique feature of s-channel production is that, with good energy resolution, the mass, total width and partial widths of a Higgs boson can be directly measured with remarkable accuracy in most cases. For the expected machine parameters and luminosity the standard model (SM) Higgs boson h(SM), with mass less than or similar to 2m(w), the light h(0) of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), and the heavier MSSM Higgs bosons (the CP-odd A(0) and the CP-even H-0) can all be studied in the s-channel, with the heavier states accessible up to the maximal root s over a large fraction of the MSSM parameter space. in addition, it may be possible to discover the A(0) and H-0 by running the collider at full energy and observing excess events in the bremsstrahlung tail at lower energy. The integrated luminosity, beam resolution and machine/detector features required to distinguish between the h(SM) and h(0) are delineated.