Dijet angular distributions from the first LHC pp collisions at center-of-mass energy sqrt(s) = 7 TeV have been measured with the ATLAS detector. The dataset used for this analysis represents an integrated luminosity of 3.1 pb-1. Dijet $\chi$ distributions and centrality ratios have been measured up to dijet masses of 2.8 TeV, and found to be in good agreement with Standard Model predictions. Analysis of the $\chi$ distributions excludes quark contact interactions with a compositeness scale $\Lambda$ below 3.4 TeV, at 95% confidence level, significantly exceeding previous limits.
Characteristics of multi-particle production in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$=7 TeV are studied as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity, $N_{ch}$. The produced particles are separated into two classes: those belonging to jets and those belonging to the underlying event. Charged particles are measured with pseudorapidity |η|<2.4 and transverse momentum $p_T$ > 0.25 GeV/c. Jets are reconstructed from charged-particles only and required to have $p_T$ > 5 GeV/c. The distributions of jet $p_T$, average $p_T$ of charged particles belonging to the underlying event or to jets, jet rates, and jet shapes are presented as functions of $N_{ch}$ and compared to the predictions of the PYTHIA and HERWIG event generators. Predictions without multi-parton interactions fail completely to describe the $N_{ch}$-dependence observed in the data. For increasing $N_{ch}$, PYTHIA systematically predicts higher jet rates and harder $p_T$ spectra than seen in the data, whereas HERWIG shows the opposite trends. At the highest multiplicity, the data–model agreement is worse for most observables, indicating the need for further tuning and/or new model ingredients.
A search for the production of a heavy B quark, having electric charge -1/3 and vector couplings to W, Z, and H bosons, is carried out using proton-proton collision data recorded at the CERN LHC by the CMS experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns. The B quark is assumed to be pair produced and to decay in one of three ways: to tW, bZ, or bH. The search is carried out in final states with one, two, and more than two charged leptons, as well as in fully hadronic final states. Each of the channels in the exclusive final-state topologies is designed to be sensitive to specific combinations of the B quark-antiquark pair decays. The observed event yields are found to be consistent with the standard model expectations in all the final states studied. A statistical combination of these results is performed and upper limits are set on the cross section of the strongly produced B quark-antiquark pairs as a function of the B quark mass. Lower limits on the B quark mass between 740 and 900 GeV are set at a 95% confidence level, depending on the values of the branching fractions of the B quark to tW, bZ, and bH. Overall, these limits are the most stringent to date.
A search for new resonances decaying to WW, ZZ, or WZ is presented. Final states are considered in which one of the vector bosons decays leptonically and the other hadronically. Results are based on data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns recorded in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. Techniques aiming at identifying jet substructures are used to analyze signal events in which the hadronization products from the decay of highly boosted W or Z bosons are contained within a single reconstructed jet. Upper limits on the production of generic WW, ZZ, or WZ resonances are set as a function of the resonance mass and width. We increase the sensitivity of the analysis by statistically combining the results of this search with a complementary study of the all-hadronic final state. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the bulk graviton production cross section in the range from 700 to 10 femtobarns for resonance masses between 600 and 2500 GeV, respectively. These limits on the bulk graviton model are the most stringent to date in the diboson final state.
A search is reported for massive resonances decaying into a quark and a vector boson (W or Z), or two vector bosons (WW, WZ, or ZZ). The analysis is performed on an inclusive sample of multijet events corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns, collected in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The search uses novel jet-substructure identification techniques that provide sensitivity to the presence of highly boosted vector bosons decaying into a pair of quarks. Exclusion limits are set at a confidence level of 95% on the production of: (i) excited quark resonances q* decaying to qW and qZ for masses less than 3.2 TeV and 2.9 TeV, respectively, (ii) a Randall-Sundrum graviton G[RS] decaying into WW for masses below 1.2 TeV, and (iii) a heavy partner of the W boson W' decaying into WZ for masses less than 1.7 TeV. For the first time mass limits are set on W' to WZ and G[RS] to WW in the all-jets final state. The mass limits on q* to qW, q* to qZ, W' to WZ, G[RS] to WW are the most stringent to date. A model with a "bulk" graviton G[Bulk] that decays into WW or ZZ bosons is also studied.
A search for baryon number violation (BNV) in top-quark decays is performed using pp collisions produced by the LHC at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV. The top-quark decay considered in this search results in one light lepton (muon or electron), two jets, but no neutrino in the final state. Data used for the analysis were collected by the CMS detector and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.5 inverse femtobarns. The event selection is optimized for top quarks produced in pairs, with one undergoing the BNV decay and the other the standard model hadronic decay to three jets. No significant excess of events over the expected yield from standard model processes is observed. The upper limits at 95% confidence level on the branching fraction of the BNV top-quark decay are calculated to be 0.0016 and 0.0017 for the muon and the electron channels, respectively. Assuming lepton universality, an upper limit of 0.0015 results from the combination of the two channels. These limits are the first that have been obtained on a BNV process involving the top quark.
A search is performed for a massive new vector-like quark T, with charge 2/3, that is pair produced together with its antiparticle in proton-proton collisions. The data were collected by the CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in 2012 at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.5 inverse femtobarns. The T quark is assumed to decay into three different final states, bW, tZ, and tH. The search is carried out using events with at least one isolated lepton. No deviations from standard model expectations are observed, and lower limits are set on the T quark mass at 95% confidence level. The lower limit lies between 687 and 782 GeV for all possible values of the branching fractions into the three different final states assuming strong production. These limits are the most stringent constraints to date on the existence of such a quark.
A search for resonances and quantum black holes is performed using the dijet mass spectra measured in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns. In a search for narrow resonances that couple to quark-quark, quark-gluon, or gluon-gluon pairs, model-independent upper limits, at 95% confidence level, are obtained on the production cross section of resonances, with masses above 1.2 TeV. When interpreted in the context of specific models the limits exclude: string resonances with masses below 5.0 TeV; excited quarks below 3.5 TeV; scalar diquarks below 4.7 TeV; W' bosons below 1.9 TeV or between 2.0 and 2.2 TeV; Z' bosons below 1.7 TeV; and Randall-Sundrum gravitons below 1.6 TeV. A separate search is conducted for narrow resonances that decay to final states including b quarks. The first exclusion limit is set for excited b quarks, with a lower mass limit between 1.2 and 1.6 TeV depending on their decay properties. Searches are also carried out for wide resonances, assuming for the first time width-to-mass ratios up to 30%, and for quantum black holes with a range of model parameters. The wide resonance search excludes axigluons and colorons with mass below 3.6 TeV, and color-octet scalars with mass below 2.5 TeV. Lower bounds between 5.0 and 6.3 TeV are set on the masses of quantum black holes.
A search is performed for heavy Majorana neutrinos (N) decaying into a W boson and a lepton using the CMS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. A signature of two jets and either two same sign electrons or a same sign electron-muon pair is searched for using 19.7 inverse femtobarns of data collected during 2012 in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The data are found to be consistent with the expected standard model (SM) background and, in the context of a Type-1 seesaw mechanism, upper limits are set on the cross section times branching fraction for production of heavy Majorana neutrinos in the mass range between 40 and 500 GeV. The results are additionally interpreted as limits on the mixing between the heavy Majorana neutrinos and the SM neutrinos. In the mass range considered, the upper limits range between 0.00015 - 0.72 for |V[eN]|^2 and 6.6E-5 - 0.47 for |V[eN] V*[muN]|^2 / ( |V[eN]|^2 + |V[muN]|^2 ), where V[lN] is the mixing element describing the mixing of the heavy neutrino with the SM neutrino of flavour l. These limits are the most restrictive direct limits for heavy Majorana neutrino masses above 200 GeV.
Measurements of the top quark-antiquark (t t-bar) spin correlations and the top quark polarization are presented for t t-bar pairs produced in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.5 inverse femtobarns collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. The measurements are performed using events with two oppositely charged leptons (electrons or muons) and two or more jets, where at least one of the jets is identified as originating from a bottom quark. The spin correlations and polarization are measured from the angular distributions of the two selected leptons, both inclusively and differentially, with respect to the invariant mass, rapidity, and transverse momentum of the t t-bar system. The measurements are unfolded to the parton level and found to be in agreement with predictions of the standard model. A search for new physics in the form of anomalous top quark chromo moments is performed. No evidence of new physics is observed, and exclusion limits on the real part of the chromo-magnetic dipole moment and the imaginary part of the chromo-electric dipole moment are evaluated.