Toward a higgs factory muon collider

Precise measurements of the parameters of the newly discovered Higgs boson candidate are needed to distinguish alternative theories. A muon collider operating near 126 GeV can create the Higgs boson by the s-channel resonance with a cross-section enhanced by a factor of 42, 700 compared to an e+e- collider. By using beams with energy spread comparable to the predicted 4 MeV width of the Higgs boson, a muon collider can directly measure the width of the boson independent of theoretical models. This small energy spread centered on the boson mass implies that the event rate will be maximized. New muon beam cooling concepts and devices to achieve 4 MeV energy spread are being developed using analytical calculations, numerical simulations, and experiments, including the construction of a prototype cooling channel segment. A conceptual design of a Higgs Factory Muon Collider is the next step toward the realization of a new kind of machine that can do precision measurements as a lepton machine and has the potential to push the energy frontier beyond the LHC. Parameters for a compelling Higgs Factory are presented along with comments on their technical challenges. The fast track of the CERN proton-antiproton collider started over 30 years ago, that brought us the Z boson, W boson, and then the Top Quark at Fermilab, is a model to be emulated.