PDF uncertainties in Higgs production at hadron colliders

Using the new schemes provided by CTEQ and MRST Collaborations and by Alekhin, we analyze the uncertainties due to the parton distribution functions (PDFs) on the next-to-leading-order cross sections of the four main production processes of the Standard Model Higgs boson at the LHC and the Tevatron. In the Higgs mass range where the production rates are large enough. the spread in the uncertainties when the three sets of PDFs are compared is of about 15% in all processes and at both colliders. However, within one given set of PDFs, the deviations from the values obtained with the reference sets are much smaller, being of O(5%). except in the gluon-gluon fusion mechanism at relatively large Higgs boson masses, where they can reach the level of 10% (15%) at the LHC (Tevatron), (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.