Next-to-next-to-leading order event generation for VH production with H → bb¯ decay

We consider the Higgsstrahlung process in hadronic collisions and present the computation of next-to-next-to-leading order predictions matched to parton showers for both production and H → bb¯ decay employing the MiNNLO_PS method. We present predictions for ZH and W^±H production including spin correlations and off-shell effects by calculating the full processes pp → ℓ⁺ℓ⁻H → ℓ⁺ℓ⁻bb¯ , pp → ν_ℓν¯ _ℓH → ν_ℓν¯ _ℓbb¯ and pp → ℓ^±ν_ℓH → ℓ^±ν¯ _ℓbb¯ in the narrow-width approximation for the Higgs boson. For the W^±H process, NNLO+PS accuracy in production and decay is achieved for the first time. Our calculations are validated against earlier simulations in the NNLOPS approach that includes NNLO corrections via multi-differential reweighting. The new MiNNLO_PS generators for these processes, which evaluate NNLO corrections on-the-fly in the event generation, will supersede those earlier calculations. Our predictions are in good agreement with recent measurements of the Higgsstrahlung cross sections.