Search for the SM Higgs boson in the ZZ channel at CMS

On July 4th, 2012 the ATLAS and CMS announced the discovery of a new Higgs-like resonance at a mass of about 126 GeV. To determine if the observed resonance is compatible with a SM Higgs boson, the resonance characteristics (mass, couplings, spin) must be measured with high precision. The ZZ channel ($H \rightarrow ZZ^* \rightarrow 4l, l = e, \mu$) is one of the most promising channels for these measurements. The CMS $H \rightarrow ZZ* \rightarrow 4l$ analysis will be presented, covering its most important aspects: lepton identification, isolation variables, kinematics, event selection, and background control. The talk will present the most recent CMS results on the search for the Standard Model Higgs boson in the ZZ channel, using the full dataset recorded at the LHC from pp collisions at centre of mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. The properties of the new boson, such as the mass and spin, will be discussed in detail.