Search for a Higgs boson produced in the decay channel 4l

A search for a Higgs boson in the four-lepton decay channel ${\rm H} \rightarrow {\rm ZZ}^{(*)}$, with each Z boson decaying to an electron or muon pair, is presented using $4.71 \pm 0.21 \; \ifb$ of integrated luminosity recorded by the CMS detector in pp collisions from the LHC at $\sqrt s$ = 7 TeV. The search covers Higgs boson mass hypotheses of $110 < m_{\rm H} < 600 \GeVcc$. Seventy-two events are observed with $4\ell$ invariant mass $m_{4\ell} > 100 \GeVcc$ (with thirteen below $160 \GeVcc$), while $67.1 \pm 6.0$ ($9.5 \pm 1.3$) events are expected from standard model background processes. Their $4\ell$ mass distribution is consistent with the expectation of standard model continuum production of ${\rm ZZ}^{(*)}$ pairs, with no significant excess at any mass in the range under study. Upper limits at 95\% CL on the product of the cross section and branching ratio exclude the standard model Higgs boson in the ranges $134 < m_{\rm H} < 158 \GeVcc$, $180 < m_{\rm H} < 305 \GeVcc$ and $340 < m_{\rm H} < 465 \GeVcc$.