Search for neutral MSSM Higgs bosons decaying to tau+ tau- pairs in proton-proton collisions at sqrt{s} = 7 TeV with the ATLAS Experiment

A search for neutral Higgs bosons $A$, $H$, $h$ in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model with the ATLAS detector at the LHC is presented. The analysis is based on proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $7\tev$, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $36 \ipb$, and focuses on Higgs decays into two $\tau$ leptons, \Htotautau, where one $\tau$ lepton decays leptonically and the other hadronically. After signal selection, $206$ events are observed in this data sample. The observed number of events is consistent with the total background estimate of $195 \pm 33$ events, where the most important background contributions are obtained from data control samples. A $95\%$ confidence-level exclusion limit for MSSM $A/H/h$ production is derived as a function of the parameters $m_A$ and $\tan\beta$.