RAPIDITY GAP SIGNALS IN HIGGS-BOSON PRODUCTION AT THE SSC

We examine the structure of the underlying event in neutral Higgs-boson production at the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC). Gaps, regions of rapidity containing no soft particle production, can provide a clean signature for W boson fusion to the heavy Higgs boson. We first examine the physical basis of gap production and estimate the survival probability of gaps in the minijet model. Then, using PYTHIA, and HERWIG, we compare gap events to W pair production from top quark decay and q (q) over bar fusion. We find that, if experimental problems can be overcome, gaps should provide a small, but clean, signal for heavy Higgs-boson production at the SSC.