Exploiting h⃗W^*W^* decays at the upgraded Fermilab Tevatron

We study the observability of a standard-model-like Higgs boson at an upgraded Fermilab Tevatron via the mode h⃗W^*W^*. We concentrate on the main channel gg⃗h⃗W^*W^*→lν̅ l̅ ν. We also find the mode qq^′→W^±h⃗W^±W^*W^*→l^±νl^±νjj useful. We perform detector level simulations by making use of a Monte Carlo program SHW. Optimized searching strategy and kinematical cuts are developed. We find that with a c.m. energy of 2 TeV and an integrated luminosity of 30 fb^-1 the signal should be observable at a 3σ level or better for the mass range of 145 GeV≲m_h≲180 GeV. For 95% confidence-level exclusion, the mass reach is 135 GeV≲m_h≲190 GeV. We also present results of studying these channels with a model-independent parametrization. Further improvement is possible by including other channels. We conclude that the upgraded Fermilab Tevatron will have the potential to significantly advance our knowledge of Higgs boson physics.